Denial
by pnaixrose
Summary: .Yahiko&Tsubame. Living with someone temporarily can really bring about some awkward situations sometimes...
1. Bored

**Denial  
By:** pnaixrose

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Rurouni Kenshin.

* * *

**Chapter 1: **Bored

Damn.

It was a hot, sunny day and yet the only thing a certain fifteen year old boy could do was sigh in great irritation. It was weird to see a frustrated frown on his usual cheeky face. He was usually the type of boy that would somehow try to make something fun out of anything.

You'd think that a teenager would be up and about doing something on gorgeous day like this instead of lounging on a small bridge, wouldn't you? Anyone else his age would at least be forced to doing chores.

Nah. That wasn't Myojin Yahiko. _No one_ could tell _him_ what to do.

Not even that busu at the Kamiya dojo.

Yeah, other times Kamiya Kaoru would be able to persuade him to do his portion of the house chores, but today he was feeling rather irritable. He knew he had surprised his older friends by just barging out the front gate all of a sudden. He had even surprised himself a bit. But he couldn't help it. He _needed_ adventure. He _needed_ something to happen in this city.

He was bored to death.

Can you blame him? After all, he lived with the instructor of the Kamiya Kasshin Ryuu Style, knew a female doctor who had been forced to help make opium in the past, knew two former members of Sekihora members, was great friends with the owners of the restaurant Akabeko, met the 13th successor of the Hiten Mitsurugi Style, personally knew the members of the Oniwabanshuu, met Mibu's Wolf, fought and defeated one of Shishio's group, and lastly he was good friends with the legendary Battousai.

A pretty colorful crowd, eh? And there was still more to be mentioned.

But now, everyone seemed to be settling down from the usual dangerous and nervous atmosphere he had gotten used to. Kenshin especially. But Yahiko couldn't blame the poor guy. Kenshin deserved to live a peaceful life from now on. After all those lives he had saved, Kenshin deserved at least that.

But Yahiko personally wanted to see him kick some butt again.

However it didn't seem like it would happen anytime soon. With Kenshin's sakabatou sword tucked away in his room as he tried to live normally, life has been quite dull for the last few months. Yahiko took this time to train under Kaoru's teachings and to beat up the simple robbers that come up once in awhile. But that was a rare occasion since no one would dare do anything wrong with the Kenshingumi in the town. But lately, it has been beyond boring. He needed _something_ to occupy his mind.

Besides, he didn't want to go home yet. Kaoru is sure to be steaming mad that he left without doing the chores. Women are always so picky about chores aren't they?

As he stared at his appearance in the water's surface, he sighed again, running a hand through his messy raven hair. He hadn't changed much since his adventurous days with the Kenshingumi. There was the same uncontrollable hair, the same dark brown eyes and the same grin. The only thing that had changed was that he was taller now. And he could definitely say more built due to his training. Nothing big though. It was still the same proud Yahiko except for the fact he had grown up a bit more. Physically, not mentally.

He heard a loud growl interrupt his thoughts and grew embarrassed as the people bustling over the bridge looked his way. He was starving. It was about noontime already and he hadn't even had breakfast yet. He stopped leaning against the bridge ledge and stretched his arms, deciding to get going.

Yahiko grinned. It was the perfect time to visit the Akabeko. Besides, it was _something_ to do, right?

-

"Yahiko-kun! It's nice to see you today!"

As soon as he had stepped into the restaurant, the lunchtime crowd's bustle reached his ears. The place was jam-packed. After all, Akabeko is a really popular place in their town. But even with all the excitement in the air, the friendly voice of the owner, Sekihara Tae, was still heard.

The boy grinned as he walked over the older woman who had just delivered some food to a table. "Tae-san," he said politely. "You look well and busy."

She laughed as she walked quickly to deliver more orders. Yahiko was amazed at how fast and relaxed she was when working. That must be something you have to pick up when you own a restaurant. He was the rather impatient type so he couldn't even imagine how calm she was with all the noise. If he was in her position, he'd probably explode and kick all the noisy people out with his bokken. That's probably why he wasn't a restaurant owner, eh? "Of course! That's my life. Busy, busy, busy," she replied with a smile. "So what are you up to today? Did you stop by to talk with Tsubame?"

A soft smile came to his lips. Sanjo Tsubame. There was something about that girl that he couldn't put his finger on. Yes, she was sweet and caring and cute and a whole lot of other things, but she just simply amazed him sometimes. Sometimes just thinking about her made him smile. Yes, he knew it was weird but it was yet another thing he couldn't help doing.

That was when he noticed a smirk on Tae-san's face. Uh-oh. He knew that face. Yahiko groaned loudly as the restaurant owner stopped working and looked at him slyly with one hand placed at her hip.

"Oh Tae-san, not this again," he complained. You see, his friends, especially Tae-san and the busu, thought that he liked Tsubame more than a friend. But that was utterly impossible! Sure he had given her flowers and saved her but that doesn't mean that he likes her! He had just...simply _wanted_ to do all those things! Yeah, that was it! He had free will, didn't he?

Women and their 'romance.' Feh.

"I came here because it's lunchtime and I'm hungry," he continued with a stubborn tone in his voice.

The woman giggled as she continued with delivering the food. "I didn't even say anything! But sure, take an empty seat if you can find one."

Yahiko grinned once again, happy that the subject had passed. "Just put it on my tab, okay?" He couldn't remember the last time he had paid that stupid tab. Tae-san knew it, too. He probably would never pay it.

"You know, Yahiko-kun," she said as she got that evil glint in her eyes again, "If you marry Tsubame maybe that tab will disappear. After all, she's the one who will get this restaurant after me."

"Tae-san!" The boy sighed in frustration. Yet for some odd reason, the blood had run up to his cheeks. Marrying Tsubame? As in she would be his wife?

W-Well...that wouldn't be such a bad thing...right? Not that he liked her or anything.

Ugh. He was confusing himself.

After Tae had laughed her heart out, he chose a spot in the corner, patiently waiting for someone to serve him while picking up gossip from the loud people seated around them. This was one way of having fun. 'Overhearing' what juicy bits were happening in the city surely was more fun than lazing about the bridge.

"Yahiko-chan?"

He almost jumped in surprise. He hadn't seen the girl coming. He gave a small pout as he realized who it was. "_Chan_!"

Tsubame giggled softly, a shy smile coming to her lips. "Yahiko-_kun_."

It was their little joke between them ever since they met a few years back. On that fateful day, Tsubame had called him "Yahiko-**chan**." He of course didn't like the name. Ever since then, he'd been trying to correct her mistake that she still makes, even though sometimes she does it on purpose just to annoy him.

The boy laughed causing Tsubame to smile also. "Busy day, ne?"

She nodded as she took a seat across from him. "There's so much to do."

"Not for me."

The girl blinked her cute brown eyes. "Why not?" Then a smile came upon her face again as she heard him sigh. "I know that sigh! You're bored again aren't you, Yahiko?"

He let out a chuckle. The girl surely knew him well. But it wasn't surprising. Whenever he had finished his chores at the dojo, he usually came to the restaurant to help out. It was almost like a second home to him. "Yeah. There's just simply nothing to do around this boring place."

The girl across from him rolled her eyes. "That's what you say everyday."

"But it's the truth, Tsubame!" he exclaimed, throwing his arms dramatically. "Everyday it's the same routine! I can't stay cooped up for much longer. I miss..." His tone softened and he smiled. "I miss my traveling days with Kenshin."

He noticed that his friend's smile was smaller, almost looking like it was being forced upon her face. "But Yahiko," she said. Yahiko noted that her tone was softer than usual also. "I was– Tae-san and I were so worried whenever you and the others left. I know that your journeys must've been fun and exciting but sometimes there comes a time when you have to settle down." A blush came to her cheeks as she smiled sheepishly. It looked as if she had just said something embarrassing and wanted to take it back.

"Settle down? As in..." Yahiko made a disgusted face. "...get a girlfriend?"

It wasn't that he hated girls. But the idea of getting a girlfriend seemed...very confining. It sounded as if you weren't able to be free. Besides, he was only fifteen! He'd have all his life to think about girls! Anyway, he bet that if he went adventuring to other cities he would meet more girls than if he stayed in this town.

Tsubame laughed, her voice sounding like its normal self again. "Maybe I'm being too much like Tae-san, ne?"

Yahiko grinned in response. She sure was! Before you knew it Tsubame would become a gossiping, matchmaking duplicate of Tae-san.

...Nah. He couldn't picture her like that when he really thought about it. Tsubame was unique, a real one of a kind. Yahiko knew of no other woman who was as sweet and caring as her. It was almost a miracle that he had met her! Most of the females he knew were either hags or just plain creepy in their own way. It may seem mean, but it was the truth! After all, he _did_ live with Kamiya Kaoru.

"Hey! Miss!" a loud customer yelled out in frustration. "Where's my food!"

Tsubame seemed to realize that she should've been working and jumped up in a hurry. The girl gave Yahiko a loving smile. "Gomenasai, Yahiko-chan," she said apologetically. "Ano...did you want to order something?"

The boy nodded in response as he suddenly remembered how starved he was. He quickly ordered something small and grinned to himself as he watched Tsubame hurry away from him. Tsubame really has changed over the years. Taller, a different voice, and slightly longer, sleeker hair. But she still had that same lovable smile that would probably never change.

But he liked it better that way.

-

It was mid-afternoon, the time when most of the lunchtime customers of Akabeko left the cozy, little restaurant to go about their business once more. Yahiko had stayed there all afternoon waiting until most of the customers had left so that he'd have time to chat with Tae-san and Tsubame. But he felt so guilty just sitting there doing nothing that he decided to help out with the cleanup by going to the backyard to get some water from the well. A lot of dishes needed cleaning. But he didn't mind doing it. He usually helped out the restaurant by doing this chore anyway.

He picked up a bucket that was filled to the top with water with one hand. The teen grinned cockily at how easily he had picked it up. He couldn't believe that before he had needed two hands to carry the thing before.

"Looking good, Yahiko-sama," he said to himself as he lifted the bucket up and down to show off to nobody in particular.

A laugh was heard behind him and Tsubame appeared next to him, wiping her hands with her apron. "Looks like you've gotten much stronger, ne Yahiko-chan?"

He glared at her. "**_KUN_**," he insisted. But then he grinned, showing off his muscles again by easily lifting the bucket up and down again. "But yeah, I sure am stronger!" He winked teasingly. "Glad you noticed, Tsubame-chan!"

He was only teasing. Yahiko didn't know that he had certainly caught the young girl's attention by showing off his strength. If he had paid attention, he would've seen the heavy blushing upon his friend's face, but at that precise moment, a loud voice distracted him.

"YAHIKO!"

The boy winced. Damn that busu. Why was she here? And why the heck does she have to scream so loudly? Wow. He was going to be in deep trouble if he went back in there.

Next to him, Tsubame was laughing her heart out. In fact, she was laughing so hard that she had to hold her aching stomach.

"What's so funny?" Yahiko asked miserably.

She smiled up at him, still giggling a bit. "Gomen. The look on your face is just so funny. But I'm guessing you're in big trouble?"

"YAHIKO! GET YOUR BRATTY, SPOILED BUTT IN HERE!"

Yahiko had needed to cover his ears from Kaoru's recent outburst. In the background, he could hear Sanosuke laughing and Kenshin desperately trying to calm the lady down. If Yahiko walked in there right now, it would be complete pandemonium. Well, at least for him.

"Yeah," Yahiko replied with a huge sigh. "I'm in pretty big trouble."

"Too bad. But it's your fault," Tsubame scolded with a smile on her face. "You shouldn't disobey Kaoru-san, Yahiko. She's a bit on the temperamental side."

"A _bit_!" he exclaimed as he rolled his eyes. "Try a lot! But anyway, let's get outta here!"

The girl blinked in confusion. "Huh? Me? But Tae-san will-"

Tsubame didn't get to finish. Yahiko had already grabbed her hand and began running away from the screaming restaurant.

No way was he going to face an angry Kaoru. At least not yet.

-

When Yahiko and Tsubame had finally stopped running, they had reached a quiet spot by the river. Yahiko had finally let go of his friend's hand and collapsed on the cool grass, panting hard. Tsubame was laughing hard as she too fell in exhaustion to the ground.

"That was actually fun, Yahiko-chan," she said with a smile while she panted hard. "My legs feel like jelly but it was fun."

Yahiko put a grin on his face as he sat up, his arms supporting him from behind. "Sometimes it feels good to just run like crazy, you know?" he said. "I feel like a complete idiot but oh well." He looked to the girl who was lying on her back with her brown eyes closed. She seemed to be relaxing and enjoying the slight breeze that was sweeping through their hair. "You've never done that, Tsubame?"

She shook her head and opened her eyes to look back at him. "Is that what your adventures had felt like, Yahiko? All exhilarating and exciting?" She really couldn't remember the last time she had run so fast, in fact.

The boy laughed slightly and looked at the serene water that was glistening in the warm afternoon. "Kinda," he answered truthfully as he thought back to those days. "Except most of the time, we were all scared half to death because of the certain circumstances we came upon." Yahiko turned back to her and smiled. "But I think how it was so unpredictable was one of the reasons it was fun."

"I wish I was there with you."

"Nah," he replied chuckling. "Sometimes it was really scary, Tsubame. I wouldn't want you there."

"You'd protect me though, ne Yahiko-kun?" she asked quietly as she sat up. "I heard a lot of stories about Kenshin-san and Kaoru-san. You'd protect me like how Kenshin-san would protect her, ne?"

Yahiko grinned. He remembered all of the times that Kenshin had so boldly protected Kaoru from getting hurt. She was a strong woman. Annoying, but strong. She could've taken care of herself but Yahiko guessed that it was Kenshin _wanted_ to protect her. Those two lovebirds...

Ugh. But sometimes the thought of the couple made him sick. He lives with them for heaven's sakes!

"Of course I'd protect you, Tsubame," he answered honestly. "I wouldn't let anything harm you. You're my friend." Yahiko would probably go crazy with rage if anyone even laid a hand on her. She's too sweet to get hurt.

The girl's smile unnoticeably weakened as she nodded. "Yeah."

"But those two make me sick sometimes," Yahiko rambled. "I wonder when they will finally get married. We all know that they like each other. _They_ probably know they like each other. They just won't admit it."

"They'll probably get married soon," Tsubame said. "Kenshin-san's just shy."

"Well he better get his shy butt over to busu and marry her. I think she gets grouchier every day Kenshin doesn't make a move."

Tsubame laughed loudly. "That's mean."

But Yahiko only grinned in response. He liked making her laugh. It made him feel good for some reason. The boy stared at her laughing face quietly. He was somewhat dazed by her smile."I wonder when I'll finally find someone to like," he said suddenly.

Tsubame raised her eyebrow in confusion. "I thought you didn't want a girlfriend."

He shrugged. That was true. Why had he said that? Boy, he was even confusing himself these days. It was probably the boredom. "I don't know."

"Why didn't you want to be in a relationship in the first place?" Tsubame asked as her curiosity grew. Then she grew red in embarrassment. "If you don't mind me asking."

Yahiko lifted his shoulders up once again. "Seemed confining to me at first. Like it would keep you from doing things you want to do. But now that I think about it, it really isn't like that at all." He turned to her with a smile. "Kenshin loves Kaoru. He isn't tied down by her. If anything, she helps him achieve greater things. I hope it's like that with all girls, especially the one I begin to like. I wonder if she'd let me go if I decided to travel around the country or something," Yahiko suddenly stopped his rambling as he realized what he was saying. Whoa. He didn't know he could be this sappy. What had gotten over him? He had never had these thoughts before. "Oh wow, I'm sorry, Tsubame," he said. "I was just thinking. I'm probably wrong."

He watched the biggest, most beautiful smile form on her lips and was suddenly frozen. He felt so...captivated by the brightness of her face that he thought that he could never tear his eyes from her pretty face ever again. Yahiko suddenly felt his heart thumping against his ribcage.

"Not at all, Yahiko-chan," she said softly.

After what seemed like an hour of just silence even though it was only about fifteen seconds, Yahiko cleared his suddenly dry throat and stood on his feet as he forced his eyes to stare down at the grass instead of Tsubame. He helped his friend stand as a breeze blew through them again. "L-Let's go. I'll have to face busu sometime. Might as well get over it."

She laughed in reply as they started back the same way they came from, however this time they were walking and Yahiko wasn't holding her by the hand.

The boy was perplexed the whole walk back . He had suddenly just felt slight tingles run up his spine as he saw Tsubame smile. It was weird. Tsubame had smiled around him a million times before and he hadn't felt that until now. And it wasn't only that. Why had he changed his mind about having a relationship with a girl so quickly? Wasn't it just a few hours ago that he wanted adventure and had concluded that loving someone would slow you down from that?

What was wrong with him?

Yahiko shrugged the thoughts away and concluded that it was probably nothing.

He had no clue that he was terribly wrong.


	2. Plans

**Denial  
By:** pnaixrose

**Disclaimer:** I don't own RK or any of the characters.

* * *

**Chapter 2:** Plans

A light giggle was heard. "Yahiko-kun, it's only Kaoru-san."

He made a disgusted face. "That's why I'm so scared."

They were both standing outside the Akabeko, just staring at the front doors timidly. Yahiko knew that through those doors meant the horrible wrath of someone even more dangerous than the deadly Battousai.

Kamiya Kaoru.

He would get torn to pieces if he stepped into that restaurant. Then he'd get double the workload tomorrow. It wasn't the woman he was scared of. It was the work. The dull work he had to do day after day after day.

Well..._maybe_ he was scared of the woman too, but he wouldn't ever admit that to anyone.

His eyes caught a slight smirk emerging from Tsubame's serene face. "You're scared," she simply stated.

Yahiko frowned and crossed his arms in front of him. "Nani! _Me_? _Scared _of _her_? Hah!" He let out a snort. "Don't make me laugh, Tsubame. I could beat her in a flash if I wanted to."

"Why haven't you then?"

He paused. "I...I'm too nice to do anything like that."

The young waitress smiled. "Wow. A scared _and_ nice Yahiko? Hmm...I think the name 'Yahiko-chan' suits you very well after all," she said teasingly.

The fifteen year old boy felt his pride get hurt and he growled. "I-I'll show you '_chan_'!" Without a moment's wait, he had stormed into the restaurant while grumbling under his breath.

Before following Yahiko inside, Tsubame grinned to herself for a second. She knew he'd take the bait.

A boy's pride...his number one weakness.

-

"-very unfortunate. I wish you a safe-"

Kenshin had stopped in mid-sentence as he spotted a certain spiky haired teen inch his way inside the restaurant. The restaurant was rather empty now so Tae had taken a quick break to converse with the red-haired Kenshin, the lazy Sanosuke, and the irritated Kaoru. Except for a few costumers in some various tables, they were alone. Yahiko groaned. That means the busu wouldn't be too embarrassed if she screamed her lungs out at him.

He stood there stiffly as he felt Tsubame take her place beside him and bowed a bit in greeting. "Kenshin-san, Kaoru-san, Sanosuke-san...konnichiwa." She then frowned slightly. "Gomen ne, but I've neglected my duties. I'll be sure to speak with you another time."

Yahiko couldn't believe it! She was leaving him with them? Not on purpose of course...right? But as she walked away, he could've sworn to have seen a small teasing wink.

Tsubame!

"Where've you been, boy?" Sanosuke asked as he chewed on something. "We've been waiting for you for a few hours."

"We have in fact," added a glaring Kaoru. "Well, actually, I haven't seen you all day! What were you thinking avoiding your chores like that?" She gave an unladylike grunt. "You didn't think you would get away with it, right?"

Yahiko scowled at the man clad in white who was smirking his head off. "Busted," Sanosuke mumbled with a chuckle.

The boy stumbled over his words, trying to think up a good excuse to lesson the blow. "Well...I...uhh...you see..."

Kenshin looked at the situation nervously. "Maybe we should let it go, Kaoru-dono. After all, we made up for the lost work." He looked to Yahiko and gave a small smile. "He probably just needed a rest."

Ah! Bless Kenshin!

The boy nodded his head vigorously, trying to paste a happy grin on his face.

But Kaoru frowned at the man sitting next to her. "That's not the point! The point is that he neglected his duties! You're way too nice to him, Kenshin!" She sighed as the man grinned back sheepishly. "I don't know what I'm going to do with you two."

Sanosuke was silently making faces at the fumed Yahiko from behind Kaoru's back.

She sighed and shook her head. "Make that three," she said, knowing that Sanosuke was doing something stupid without even looking at him.

"What did _I_ do?" Sano grumbled. He had to admit, this girl was pretty scary...

She turned about and her furious sapphire eyes glared at him intently. "Let's see...you come over just to eat our food, you don't help clean, you loiter about doing nothing, you owe me money-"

Sanosuke sighed and scratched his head sheepishly. "Okay, okay. I got you."

"Honestly, Tae-san," Kaoru insisted, "It's like I'm taking care of three babies instead of three grown – or growing - men."

The three defeated ones looked at each other. But they knew if they disagreed with her, they'd just be in deeper trouble. No way would they try that. That would be suicide!

The restaurant owner laughed. She was obviously amused by this whole affair. Tae was quite used to this actually, but it was always fun to witness them bickering again. "Well, Kaoru-san, I think I have a temporary solution," she said.

It immediately earned the raven haired woman's interest. "Nani? Are you serious?"

Tae nodded, a smile playing at her lips. "Well, as I was explaining before Yahiko-kun came, my father is ill so I was going to pay him a visit." She paused as she saw the others nod. "I'm not sure just how long I'm going to be staying there. I was initially planning to just spend a couple of nights with him but I have heard that the illness has worsened a bit so I decided to stay with him until he gets better."

"It's all right, Tae-san," Kaoru said gently. "Take as long as you want." She had always been pretty sensitive whenever it came to talking about fathers. She had loved hers so much that sometimes it was kind of sad living without him. But she had friends and although they would never replace her father, she just loved having them around...

...she just didn't like feeding them, taking care of them, and cleaning up their mess.

Kenshin nodded in understanding. "If you'd like, Kaoru-dono and I will hold down the fort here."

But Tae sighed sadly. "That's kind of you, but I couldn't ask you to do that. You already have lessons at the dojo to take care of besides keeping the chores done. Anyway, it's not only the restaurant that I worry of." She looked towards a table which was being served by Tsubame and the others followed her gaze. "I didn't tell Tsubame-chan all of this yet. I know that if I do, she'll want to help out by taking charge of the restaurant. She'd do a good job, I'm sure, but she'd be all alone. After all, she's still young. I'm scared for her. A young girl like her shouldn't be living alone...even if it's only for a while."

Yahiko nodded in agreement. He didn't think a fifteen year old teen shouldn't be alone either. Even in a dull place like this, you'd never guess how many weird people would come, especially in a public restaurant. "Can't you leave her with a trusted employee or something?"

Tae shook her head. "My employees have lives of their own. I don't want to burden them with yet another person to feed when they have families of their own."

"That's true," Sano commented. "Times are rough these days."

"That's why I have an idea that may satisfy both you and I, Kaoru-san."

The dojo owner raised an eyebrow in curiosity, peaked at the tone of Tae's voice. "Go on."

The other woman gave a sly grin and Yahiko looked at her suspiciously. He knew that look all too well. Tae-san was up to something. "Well, I was thinking that maybe Yahiko-kun would be willing to live with Tsubame until I return. That way you'd be able to get rid of him and have peace for awhile and I won't worry about Tsubame. Besides, he already comes here so often."

But the boy in question widened his eyes. _Him_? Live with Tsubame? It's not like he didn't like her or anything but...he was going to live with a _girl_? Worst of all, it was a girl his age! It was just too embarrassing to think about! "N-Nani? Oy, busu. I don't think it's a good idea," he said nervously. "You still need me to do all those chores for you at the dojo! A-And I need my lessons, too!"

However, he knew that the grin that had appeared on her face meant she felt otherwise. "I think it's a good idea, Yahiko. Kenshin and I seem like we can handle the dojo chores by ourselves. We seemed to get the work done without you...just like what happened today. And your lessons don't last long. You could come over, have a quick lesson, and go straight back."

The boy shook his head, a blush coming over his cheeks. It was a rarity to see.

...And he knew Kaoru was loving it.

"B-B-But!" He turned pleadingly to Kenshin. "Kenshin! You don't agree with this do you?"

But the red head shrugged his shoulders with a sheepish smile on his face. "Yahiko, I think you should do it. It would certainly solve a lot of the problems we have afoot here. Don't you want to help Tae-san?"

Great. Now he felt guilty. Yahiko turned helplessly to Tae. "I do want to help. I really do. B-But I-"

"Yahiko-kun, it would really help if you could do this one favor for me. Besides, my home is just behind the restaurant. You'll have all the food you'll need if that's what you're worried about."

He shook his head. "Th-That's not what I'm worried about!"

"What is it then?" Sanosuke said with a sly smile. "Are you and your girlfriend fighting?"

His face grew even brighter with blush. "Sh-She's not my girlfriend!"

"Then what? Are you just a selfish, little brat who doesn't want to keep a girl company for a few measly days? What if something happens to her? It would be all your fault!" Sanosuke grinned as he saw the boy boil with anger. He had just fallen right into his trap. Yahiko was just too predictable sometimes.

"FINE! I'll do it!" he yelled in exasperation as he glared at his so-called 'friends.' "You people are horrible..."

Tae's grin grew. "Well, better start packing," she said. "I'm leaving tomorrow."

"NANI!"

-

"Well Tae-san," Kaoru said cheerfully as the whole group stood up. They were just about ready to go home. "We've taken too much of your time."

The Akabeko owner just grinned. "No problem at all. You've all helped me a great deal."

Yahiko, who had been moping and quite furious at the thought he had been dragged into this whole affair, grumbled a short good-bye as he and a teasing Sanosuke walked out the door into the dimming streets. Only Kenshin and Kaoru were left to pay for the meal and to bid Tae farewell.

"Ne, Tae-san," Kaoru said with a smile before they headed towards the door. "There's another reason behind why you picked Yahiko to stay with Tsubame-chan, right?"

"Of course!" she said as she sighed. "Those two...how long have they known each other? And they _still_ haven't made a move! Tsubame's too shy to say anything. And Yahiko? I think he doesn't even realize that he likes her yet! All I have to say is that they better be farther in their relationship than where they are now when I come back!'

Kaoru nodded feverishly. "They're going so slow! Luckily the situation came up!"

Kenshin shook his head slowly at the women's schemes. "You two shouldn't interfere with Yahiko and Tsubame-san's affairs."

The sapphire eyed one frowned. "We're not interfering..."

"...We're just encouraging," Tae-san finished.

The two women looked at each other sneakily. "Ohohohohoho!"

Kenshin simply blinked his violet eyes in confusion. "Oro..."

-

"Shut up..."

Sanosuke grinned to himself at the young boy's rude reaction. He couldn't help but make fun of him a bit though. Although he knew Yahiko hated being thought of as a child, Sanosuke couldn't help but realize that even though Yahiko was tough, he was still a kid. It especially showed right now. The kid was scared of living with a girl for a couple of days! Hah! It was pretty hilarious if you think about it...and it kind of made Sano wish he was a kid again.

They were walking towards the dojo with Sano a little ways behind the spiky haired teen. Kenshin and Kaoru were still chatting at the restaurant but Yahiko couldn't stand staying there any longer.

"Don't worry Yahiko-CHAN, I'll stop by the restaurant once in awhile," Sano said.

Yahiko's eye twitched at the '-chan.' Damn Sanosuke. Why couldn't he just leave him alone? "Why? To stuff your big, ugly face?"

The older guy smiled slyly and 'tsked.' "Nope. To make sure you haven't done anything to Tsubame-chan."

Yahiko was glad Sanosuke couldn't see his face. Right now, the bright red tint was covering his cheeks. He didn't know why the thought of living with Tsubame made him blush. It was just Tsubame, one of his close friends. There was nothing to be so nervous about. He was just staying with her for a couple of days to keep her company. That was all...

...Then why wouldn't his heart stop beating so fast?

"What do you mean, baka?" he grumbled.

"Oh, I don't know," Sano replied. "Maybe...a little smoochy smoochy." He noticed that Yahiko had stopped walking and he too stopped in his tracks. The kid was getting pissed off. "Aw, c'mon. Just admit it, Yahiko. Admit it and go tell her. Maybe then everyone will stop making fun of you."

Yahiko's back was still turned to him. "What the hell are you talking about?" he said in irritation.

"You know what I'm talking about," Sano said with a sigh. "Jeez. You kids are so annoying sometimes."

"Speak for yourself."

The man in white glared at the kid in front of him. "Hey! Well, all I'm saying is that maybe you should just admit that you like Tsubame."

Before he knew it, Sanouske's left arm was hit. As he rubbed the sore spot with his other hand, he glared at Yahiko. This is what he got for being honest? Sheesh.

But wow. He hadn't seen the kid coming. Talk about speed of a god. Maybe Yahiko was better than everyone thought. Even though it hadn't seriously hurt him, Sano knew that it would leave a bruise tomorrow.

The boy was holding out his bokken in front of him, narrowing his eyes at Sanosuke. After a pause, he grunted and without another word began walking towards the dojo again. Sanosuke was just being his own dumb self. He didn't have feelings for Tsubame. Of course not. Yahiko was feeling nervous because he was simply too shy to spend time alone with a girl his age. After all, he was fifteen. It was normal for the hormones should be kicking in at this time. But after the first night, he was sure the nervousness would fade. It was Tsubame after all. Whenever he was with her, he just felt comfortable. It would be impossible to be nervous if he spent more time with her.

He heard Sanosuke sigh as he too started on his way. "Sorry, kid. That's just what everyone else thinks, okay? Anyway, I think it's good that you're staying over at Tae's house for awhile. Isn't this what you've wanted?"

"What are you talking about?" Yahiko asked as he turned his head a bit to his friend.

Sanosuke shrugged his shoulders, still feeling the soreness on his arm. "I thought you've been feeling bored lately. I don't blame ya. We've all had some pretty weird but exciting pasts. But this is how life is supposed to be. People aren't supposed to be thinking about the next bad guy to take down to save the country. They're only supposed to think of what tomorrow will bring." The older man grinned. "Do you understand why Kenshin loves a normal life? He just loves living each day to its fullest with the people he loves. Namely Kaoru, but I guess we qualify too."

Yahiko chuckled. It was weird for Sano to be like this. He usually wasn't one to be thinking about life this way. Actually, he wasn't a person who ever thought at all. "Yeah, yeah...Why are you telling me this anyway?"

"Well, you're still a kid." Sanosuke noticed the glare and grinned. "I know, I know. You don't like being called one. But admit it. You're still young. You shouldn't have the need to be doing things us adults do."

But he only rolled his eyes. "I'm just bored."

"I know what you mean. I am, too. I think I might roam around a bit next year."

Yahiko stopped walking again and turned to him with his arms crossed in front of him. "Then why do _you_ get to get all the excitement while I just rot in this dull, old town?"

"I've had my share of a normal life and I'm still not satisfied with it. You haven't had your share yet so you wouldn't know," Sanosuke said as he too stopped.

"I've had one for a couple of years now. I don't like it either."

Sanosuke grinned. This kid reminded him of himself...almost. They both yearned for adventure. But Yahiko had something that Sanosuke was still searching for. The kid might not know it, but it was right under his nose. "Give it time. I think a normal life suits you fine actually."

But the boy didn't think so. He definitely loathed it. "What are you talking about?" he asked for the third time that day.

Sano gave a chuckle. "You'll realize it soon. Hmm...By the time Tae-san comes back from visiting her father, I think you'll know what I'm talking about."

"Whatever." Yahiko sighed and turned on his heel as he began towards Kamiya dojo once again. He had no clue what the man was talking about and he honestly couldn't care less. Sano was wrong. The normal life wasn't for him. He couldn't stand staying in one area doing nothing at all when the world was so big and there were so many people to meet. But maybe Sano was right about one thing. Maybe a change of scenery would do him good. This staying with Tsubame idea didn't seem so bad after all.

Who knows...maybe it'll be fun. He always had fun with her.

Sanosuke was grinning to himself as he watched the teen walk away. Yahiko was too naïve sometimes. He never realized that he had so much in this so-called "dull" city. He had a reason to live here. Tsubame. Everyone knew that the young boy liked her even though he didn't show it. Heck, he might not even know that he liked her. But they all knew how close the two friends had gotten. If only he'd realize how much Tsubame means to him, he'd change his mind about traveling. The kid was lucky. Everyone needed a reason to live and his was right under his nose.

Sanosuke was still trying to find his. But right now...trying to find out that reason was his reason to live. It was somewhere out there.

Complicated...but that was just how he was.

He felt the soreness on his arm and grinned to himself. Maybe he should take a stroll to the doctor's. Megumi should be able to wrap it up or something. Besides, he hadn't seen that irritating woman for awhile. Maybe he could help her with some maintenance problems on the building she worked in with Dr. Genzai. He had heard a while back that there were some leakage problems with the roof. That dumb woman wouldn't be able to fix something like that. Knowing her, she'd probably make one of her patients do it if she hasn't already!

He paused a minute. Sano shook his head slowly as he chuckled. Maybe he was as naïve as Yahiko. Maybe his reason to live was right here in this little, dull city too.

-

Tae grinned widely as she saw the younger girl's reaction. They were closing up the restaurant and were cleaning up the tables with wet rags. Tae had decided that this was a good time to tell Tsubame that she had to go on a leave.

"Don't worry, it's only for a few days, Tsubame-chan," the owner said. "I won't be gone forever."

But that wasn't what was bothering her. Of course Tsubame had been sad because Tae-san's father was ill and she understood that the woman wanted to go and make him feel better. Tsubame just couldn't understand one thing...

"T-Tae-san..." she said slowly as a blush crept up her cheeks. "M-Must Yahiko-kun stay here with me? I-I'm perfectly capable of running the restaurant by myself."

But the woman shook her head. "No, no. I couldn't leave you here by yourself." Tae looked at the girl with a slight smile. "I've already discussed it with him. He agrees that you shouldn't be alone. Don't worry, he was practically the one who suggested the idea!"

Okay, so it was one, teeny, tiny lie. But it wouldn't hurt anyone. If anything, it would boost the young girl's confidence.

Tsubame's heart fluttered as she stopped wiping the tables and looked at the nothing in particular. Yahiko had suggested it? He was worried about her? The girl couldn't help but smile joyfully as she continued to blush. She could never imagine him doing that.

Tae saw her sudden happiness and smirked slyly. "Maybe while I'm gone, you can finally tell him how you feel, ne?" she asked softly.

Her blush grew deeper, if that was possible as she stood there in a daze. Tae was – hopefully – the only one who knew that Tsubame...liked Yahiko. No, that was an understatement. She _really_ liked him. A lot. The thought of telling Yahiko how she felt...was nerve-wrecking. But she wanted him to know. That's why she's been staying up at night trying to figure out what to say to him. Actually, last night she had promised herself that she would finally tell him today. But he didn't want her. In fact, he didn't want any girl. He wanted adventure.

Tsubame sighed as she continued cleaning the tables. A simple waitress like her would never be able to satisfy such an adventurous soul. He was wild, energetic, and would never let anything tie him down. She would never be able to catch his heart.

But then again...all his characteristics...everything he does...

...are reasons why she loves him so much.


	3. Just a Friend

**Denial  
By:** pnaixrose

**Disclaimer:** I don't own RK.

* * *

**Chapter 3:** Just a Friend

Tsubame watched dazedly as her boss packed up a few last-minute things for her trip. Today was the day Tae-san would leave. Tsubame would have to run the restaurant alone.

Of course, she wouldn't be completely alone. Yahiko-kun would stay with her in Tae's absence. She didn't know if it was a good thing or a bad thing. Yes, it was always nice to have him around. He had that social personality and could always make her laugh so there had never been an awkward moment between the friends. But would it change if Yahiko was _living_ with her? A boy...living with her.

She self-consciously hugged herself. It was only Yahiko. He wouldn't do anything to her. Besides, they were only fifteen! And it wasn't like they'd be sleeping in the same room or anything.

Tsubame mentally kicked herself. What in the world was she thinking about?

"Tsubame," Tae's sweet and teasing voice said suddenly, "get our mind out of the gutter."

The teen's face turned red with embarrassment. How had Tae-san known what she was thinking about? The woman hadn't even looked up from her packing.

Scary.

Tae gave the bag a little tap of satisfaction as she sighed and turned to her employee. She was going to miss this girl. Throughout the past few years, she had grown to love Tsubame like a daughter. Tae did not want any kind of harm come to the young teen and wanted her to be as happy as she could be.

Tsubame's innocence and pure sweetness had always made people smile, while Yahiko was the type of person who could make people smile with his childish pride and his sarcasm. A good, happy couple. If they ever did get married, they would have a very healthy relationship. It would be one that had stemmed from friendship and had grown to undying love. It was the perfect love story. And they deserved each other too. After all, it wasn't as if the two kids have had perfect, easy lives. They both deserved to be happy.

She gave Tsubame a gentle smile as she faced her. "Well, take good care of the restaurant. But most of all, take care of yourself, okay Tsubame?" Tae's grin grew. "But don't worry. Yahiko-kun will probably do that for you."

The younger girl laughed a bit in embarrassment. "Oh Tae-san. Will you ever stop teasing me?"

"I'll tell you what. When I come back and you two are finally a couple, I'll stop teasing." The restaurant manager winked suggestively.

Tsubame nearly choked at the mere thought of them being a couple. In order for them to be together, she'd have to confess her feelings. But she would never have the courage to do that. Besides, the other component of being a couple is that the boy had to like you back. Tsubame scoffed inwardly. No way would Yahiko ever like her. "I-I really don't think that will happen, Tae-san."

Her boss sighed in frustration as she placed a hand on the younger girl's shoulder. Tae would never understand why Tsubame would be afraid of confessing her love if it was obvious Yahiko had feelings for her too. The boy may not know it, but it was obvious he did. Well, that was how young love was. It was full of fear but at the same time, it brought so much excitement and happiness.

Tae leaned in a bit to Tsubame, her face more serious than ever. And it was scary seeing Tae serious. She was usually teasing her and smiling. "Tsubame, you're going to be here alone with Yahiko-kun for awhile. Just you and him. Alone." She gave her a meaningful look. "Look Tsubame, it'll be the perfect opportunity!"

But the girl simply turned her gaze to the floor. She knew that what Tae said was true. The next few days would be the perfect opportunity to tell him. And if he ever did feel the same, they'd be able to spend a lot of time together while Tae was gone. But...

...he would never feel the same. It was simply impossible.

"I-I don't know, Tae-san," Tsubame said quietly. "I don't want to ruin our friendship." After all, she treasured their friendship. Even if she would never be with him the way she wanted, she could at least be a close friend. If she told him her feelings, maybe an awkward atmosphere would grow between them. She wouldn't be able to stand that.

The older woman sighed as she nodded slowly. "Alright. If that's what you think." Tae stood from her spot on the ground, picking up her bag. She strode towards the door slowly as she left Tsubame sitting there to think. But before she completely left the girl alone, Tae turned to her with a smile on her face. "What ever makes you happy, Tsubame."

As Tae walked out of the room, Tsubame sighed in frustration. What ever made her happy? That's just the thing...

...Yahiko made her happy.

-

A yelp for help was heard as Kenshin covered her ears with his hands. He flinched as Kaoru walked towards him, dragging a complaining Yahiko behind her...by the ear.

Ouch.

The swordsman stopped walking toward the Akabeko and waited for his friends to catch up. He couldn't help but pity the young boy in Kaoru-dono's grasps. "Kaoru-dono," he said as he noticed everyone else around them look at them in interest. "Don't you think you're being a little too hard?"

She didn't even paused to look at him and just kept walking towards the restaurant. "Too hard? He's going to chicken out, Kenshin!"

Yahiko yelped as she pulled him along _roughly_. He was _not_ chickening out! Back at the dojo, he had simply just asked them one last time if they thought this whole situation was appropriate. Suddenly she was yelling and pulling him by the ear! It was just a question! Jeez! What was wrong with this stupid busu? "I-I was not! I was just-"

"Trying to get out of it?" Kaoru interrupted rudely. She glared at the boy she was dragging. "I know you too well, Yahiko-CHAN. Besides, you probably wouldn't come here voluntarily. I decided it was my duty to-"

"Pull my ear off? OUCH! Dammit, let go, busu!"

Kenshin sweat dropped at the sight and meekly took a few steps back from the two. "K-Kaoru-dono. I don't think it's necessary to pull him along any longer. We're right in front of the Akebeko."

Kaoru let go of the boy's ear as she noticed the familiar restaurant. Smiling in satisfaction, she seemed to ignore the fact that Yahiko was rubbing his precious ear and muttering things about her. "Well let's go in."

Still rubbing his ear, Yahiko sighed. "Why are we here so early anyway? Are we seeing Tae-san off?"

Kaoru nodded. "She'll be leaving this early. I wanted to give her some final farewells." She glanced at her younger friend. "Besides, the restaurant will be opening. You can help Tsubame prepare."

"So early?" Yahiko had believed he'd have at least some hours before he'd have to stay with Tsubame. He had never been here this early anyway. He had always been stuck doing some stupid chore at the dojo.

Just as he finished the thought, they heard a familiar, melodious voice from inside the restaurant. "Tae-san, I'll put your bag outside. Then after you leave I'll be getting some ingredients that we're low on."

Another voice was heard. "Ah, Tsubame! You're an angel from above! Arigatou!"

Immediately, Tsubame was seen at the door, struggling with a huge bag she was dragging with both hands. Her brown eyes widened at the early comers and a noticeable tint of red reached her face. "Y-Yahiko!"

He grinned childishly, instantly brightening as he saw her. "Hey, Tsubame. Let me help you out there." Before she could refuse, he had already slung the bag over her shoulder. He groaned at the weight and chuckled nervously. Guess he wasn't as strong as he thought yet. Kenshin and Sano would've been able to carry that bag with one finger. "Um...where should I...?"

The girl laughed. "You really didn't have to do that, Yahiko-chan. Tae-san will be out any minute."

As he dropped the heavy bag on the ground, Kaoru smirked. "Trying to impress someone, Yahiko-chan?"

He glared at the two ladies who had called him that horrid nickname. "I was just trying to help. Why does she have so much things with her anyway?"

"It's mainly clothes and food," a woman said, coming out from the restaurant. She smiled brightly at them. "Ohayo. Why are you guys here?"

"We just wanted to say goodbye one last time," Kaoru said as she came up to the restaurant manager and gave her a friendly hug. "Have a safe trip."

Tae smiled gratefully at her as she returned the hug. "Arigatou."

"You're not going to walk all the way there, right?" Yahiko said as he eyed the huge bag. "That'll be a hard trip with all this stuff you have."

Kenshin, being such a gentleman as he was, offered some help. "Yes, it will. If you want, I can accompany you there, or at least half way. Surely, you can't be carrying that heavy bag by yourself."

"Oh, no. I can't let you do that," Tae said with a slight smile. "Don't worry about me so much. I'm taking a carriage."

"Tae-san, are you sure you don't want any company?" Tsubame hopefully asked once more. "I'm sure the trip will be lonely and-"

"Oh, Tsubame-chan. I'll be fine. Besides, I need someone to take care of the restaurant. You'll do that for me, won't you? Promise?"

The girl nodded slowly. She still wanted to accompany the friend who had taken care of her for so long, yet she knew Tae-san had left her with an important job. She hugged the woman gently. She was going to miss her a lot.

Just then, the carriage pulled up nearby and Tae sighed. "Well, I'll have to leave you all. I'll miss you." She looked at Yahiko and Tsubame and smiled slyly. "Have fun."

Kenshin grabbed her bag as the group went towards the carriage. Tae slid in as the swordsman placed the bag next to her. She gave a final smile. "Ja ne."

And with that, the carriage slowly rolled away as Tae waved goodbye. She'll be back soon enough though. Tae grinned to herself.

Hopefully, things will have gotten interesting by the time she returned, especially between a young waitress and a stubborn boy.

-

The group stayed until the carriage had disappeared. After a while, Kenshin and Kaoru turned to look at each other and then at the two younger ones."Well, Kenshin and I will be leaving now," Kaoru said to the teens. "I have a class soon and Kenshin has to make up _all_ the chores."

She looked teasingly at the redhead as he sighed, thinking about all the work that awaited him back at home. "Oro..."

"We'll be right at the dojo if anything happens, okay Yahiko? Come and get us anytime."

The boy was surprised. That was the first serious thing that the woman has said to him in a while. He shrugged. "We won't need help. Don't worry," He folded his arms in front of him self-assuredly. "I've got things under control."

"We know," Kenshin replied with a smile. "But just in case..."

Yahiko chuckled. "Yeah, yeah..."

Tsubame bowed to the two older friends. "Kaoru-san, Kenshin-san, ja ne. Thank you for seeing Tae-san off."

"No problem," Kaoru said with a smile. She turned to her black-haired student and looked at him gently. She'd miss having the annoying freeloader around all day. Most of the time he was a complete brat, but it was also so much fun teasing Yahiko. But he'd still be around. It wasn't as if he left town or anything. Besides, he still had his lessons and he better not be late for them! But the dojo will probably be pretty quiet for quite awhile without his complaining. "Take care of her, Yahiko..._chan_."

He growled with an angry expression on his face as the two walked away. He heard Tsubame trying to stifle her giggling. Jeez...when will they finally stop calling him that? But hearing her laughing suddenly made him smile. "Be quiet," he said teasingly with a pout.

She gave one last laugh. "Gomen ne," Tsubame replied with a grin. "It's just funny."

They caught each other's gaze and suddenly the lighthearted moment ended. The two were silent and still, as the town around them seemed to begin waking up. People started roaming the streets and stores began to open. Streets became crowded and voices were heard. But they seemed to be oblivious to it all.

Both Yahiko and Tsubame had realized...this was it. The fact had hit them and it was reality. Yahiko would live with her for the next few days. The boy didn't know why he was suddenly nervous. Hadn't he assured himself just the day before that spending time with Tsubame would be fun? It would be great. Besides, it was a change of scenery.

Suddenly, looking at her dark eyes, he felt an odd tingle run down his back. Yahiko tore his gaze from her, wondering what had compelled him to do that.

Weird...

"Wh-What next?" he asked, trying to break the silence. "Anything you need me to do?"

Tsubame gave a small smile at his offer. She was glad he had spoken first. All that while, she had been trapped in his gaze, unable to get a word out. She silently hoped that Yahiko hadn't heard her incredibly loud heart beating. For some reason, the sounds of it had been amplified in her ears. "Arigatou Yahiko-kun," she replied. "I'm fine though. I just have to get a couple of things in the market that we'll probably need."

"Okay. Let's go."

Tsubame quickly shook her head. "Oh, you don't have to come with me, Yahiko-kun. I don't want to trouble you."

Yahiko raised an eyebrow. Was she crazy? Letting her go to the market alone? What kind of man would he be if he let her go by herself? "Does Tae-san usually come with you?"

She looked guiltily at the ground, knowing that he had caught her. "Well, yes. But-"

"Then I'll come with you. If anything happened, I'll just be blaming myself. Besides, what am I going to do waiting here?" He watched her sigh and immediately knew he had won.

"Okay, okay," she replied. "You win."

Yahiko's one-of-a-kind grin appeared. "Yatta."

Listening to his footsteps close behind her, Tsubame couldn't help but smile. Her next couple of days would be nerve-wracking, yes. But she got to spend time with him. _A lot_ of time with him.

And who knows, maybe he'll realize that he loved her as he got to know her even better.

Tsubame inwardly scoffed at her ridiculous thought. How impossible.

But she knew one thing for certain. Today was going to be different.

-

"Ohayo, Yamada-san," the Akabeko waitress said brightly as she approached an outdoor fruit and vegetable vendor. Yahiko followed close in pursuit.

He had been behind her the whole shopping trip and at first Tsubame thought he would get bored. She wanted to tell him that if he was bored he could leave, but whenever she had turned to him, he was smiling down at her and she would melt. Whenever Tsubame saw that smile, the thought of asking him to leave her was out of question. She wanted him with her. It was selfish, but it was the truth.

She didn't know if he was pretending not to be bored or if he was extremely patient. It was hard to believe a patient Yahiko, so she figured that he was just pretending. Besides, wasn't it just yesterday that he had been complaining that the whole town was dull?

"Tsubame-chan! Well it's nice to see you today!" Yamada-san replied. His eyes caught sight of the young man behind her and he smiled even brighter. "Is that Yahiko-kun? What are you two doing together so early in the morning, eh?" After a pause, the stocky, short man laughed and winked at the embarrassed teens. "Ah, I see..."

Yahiko could almost die. Yamada-san thought they were a couple! "Y-You've got it all wrong, Yamada-san!" argued the black-haired boy quickly. "I just have to live with her the next couple of days!"

The seller raised an eyebrow. "Live with her?"

Yahiko inwardly scolded himself as his blush grew. He had just made the situation worse.

"I-It's not like that!" Tsubame interrupted hurriedly, seeing Yahiko at a loss of words. "Tae-san is gone for a couple of weeks and Yahiko-kun is simply watching over me."

The man laughed heartily at the teens' reactions. To be in love yet to deny it for fear of rejection. Oh, how it was to be young again. "I'm just playing with you two. I've heard that Tae had gone off. Are you sure you don't need any more help at the restaurant, Tsubame? If you like, I could come down and maybe help cook a few things."

The girl shook her head quickly with an appreciative smile on her lips. She was truly grateful for the offer, but she couldn't possibly let him do that. "Oh, that's all right, Yamada-san. I can handle it. Thank you for the gracious offer though." Tsubame knew she had to take charge of the restaurant without any extra help to show Tae-san she was responsible and that she had learned well from her. Besides, she didn't want Yamada-san to have to do more work than he had to.

The older man smiled down at the two young customers. "Alright. After all, Yahiko-kun's with you. Everything is sure to be fine, ne? Yahiko-kun, you better take care of her."

The addressed boy couldn't help but smile a bit. Yamada-san was right. There is no way anything bad will happen to Tsubame. He would be right there with her every step of the way. "Yeah, don't worry. I won't let anyone harm her," he glanced at her from the corner of his eye. "She's safe with me."

He nearly froze at his own words in confusion. Where had that come from? And why did he feel as if he would do anything in the whole world for her?

Yahiko shrugged the thoughts aside. He was simply being a good friend.

Just a friend.

If he had been paying attention, he would've noticed a surprised expression upon Tsubame's face as she peered up at him. Besides that, he also would've noticed that she was blushing like crazy.

Tsubame inwardly sighed as she asked Yamada-san for the ingredients she had come for. As she was about to grab the bag of vegetables, Yahiko suddenly extended his arm to get it first.

"I'll get that for you, Tsubame," he simply said with a big grin.

Why did Yahiko have to make her heart flutter so much anyway?

-

"So this is Tae-san's house..." the teen said as he looked at the small yet cozy home. The four-room house was situated just behind the Akabeko. Having it so close to the restaurant probably made it easier to get to work everyday. He grinned as he stepped onto the small porch, removing his slippers first. Entering the main room, his curiosity took over him as he scanned the neat, little house. He heard Tsubame's footsteps behind him and he turned. "It's a very nice home. Really cozy."

Tsubame smiled. "Arigatou."

She was at loss of words as Yahiko continued smiling down at her. Yahiko...was in her house. Forcing herself not to look too nervous, Tsubame returned the smile he was giving her. "I-It's not all that interesting, but do you want a tour?"

Chuckling, Yahiko shrugged his shoulders. "Why not?"

She led him into front of two bedrooms. "This is Tae-san's room. You'll be staying here," she said as she indicated to a shoji door shyly. "The one next to it is mine."

Their rooms were next to each others. Yahiko felt blood run to his face. Tsubame would literally be just next door to him.

Wait, why was he making such a big deal out of it? So what if Tsubame would be just on the other side of the wall when she was sleeping at night? So what if she would be there when she undressed-

Bad, bad Yahiko. He couldn't believe he was thinking all of this! Why did being a teenage boy have to kick in now?

"Yahiko-kun?" Tsubame said worriedly. His face had suddenly turned bright red. At the sound her voice, she watched as he suddenly shook his head and turned to her.

"H-Hai? Gomen. Just thinking."

She smiled and shrugged. "Well, it's almost time to open the restaurant. Thank you for escorting me to the market."

Yahiko nodded. "Glad to do it."

Tsubame went up the shoji door leading to her room. "Well, I have to change into my uniform. Please, do as you like. Get comfortable." With one more smile of hers, there was the sound of the sliding door and she disappeared.

Yahiko's red grew red again as he stared at the door. Tsubame was changing her clothes in a room just beyond a flimsy wall.

He mentally slapped himself. What was he thinking?

She was...just a friend!

-

Yahiko looked around the Akabeko as he bent down to pick up some dirty dishes from a table. Only three tables had customers seated at them, enjoying their lunch. It was a rather slow day. It was lunchtime and usually it would be packed with people. Maybe it was better this way. In a few minutes he'd have to go over to the dojo for his lessons with the busu. At least the workers wouldn't have to do that much work while he was gone.

"Hey, Myojin-san," one of the two cooks yelled from the kitchen as he chopped some vegetables, "can you get more water from the well?"

"Hai!"

Dropping off the dirty dishes, he made his way to the back of the building, bringing an empty bucket with him. Working at a restaurant was quite hard. All morning, he hadn't gotten a chance to sit down or think. Maybe this was why Tsubame was never bored like he was. She always had so much work to do. And she had to do even more things than most of the workers had. Tsubame had to get orders, deliver orders, give orders to the other employees, smile politely, go from table to table, collect the money...

Yahiko would die from so much work! This work was even more straneous than his chores at the dojo.

As he headed towards the well he spotted a familiar person sitting on top of a pile of wooden crates. It was Tsubame, clad in her westernized uniform that Tae-san had recently decided to try out and had made ever employee wear one. It was a cute outfit, yet he liked her better in a kimono. Somehow she looked more natural that way. Besides, she always looked stiff in her waiter uniform. She spotted him and gave him a small smile. "Yahiko-kun..."

The boy left the empty bucket near the well as he walked towards her and took a seat beside her. "Slow day, eh?" he commented with a grin.

She gave a sigh and nodded. "Yes, it is."

Yahiko noticed the faraway tone of her voice and looked at her face which was in a daze. "You okay? Tired?"

She _was_ tired, both physically and emotionally. All day as she worked, she had been looking over her shoulder to stare at the boy cleaning up after customers had left their tables. She couldn't help it. Every chance she had, Tsubame would be watching him, silently smiling whenever he had made a joke with the customers or with the chefs. The way he always ruffled his already messy hair in frustration when he dropped a few dishes, the way he smiled and said a brief "arigatou" when customers left...

Everything.

It was so tiring.

"Don't worry, Tsubame-chan," he said encouragingly. "It'll get better. There'll probably be more customers tomorrow."

She smiled slightly. At least he didn't know what she _really_ was thinking. "W-Well, I'm tired already even though we're having a slow day. And it's not even close to closing time and I'm worn out. Imagine what it will be like when there's a busy day! I have to count all the money later on too. I've never done that. Tae-san usually does that. She usually cleans the floors and tables when we close and pays the workers at the end of each week..." Tsubame gave a tired sigh. "I can't do it, Yahiko-kun. It's too hard. I'm so tired already."

Her friend laid a comforting hand on her shoulder and she immediately felt the warmth. A great dose of her fatigue suddenly vanished. She turned to him and found him smiling back at her.

"It's hard, I know. I haven't moved so much in a long while that my legs are starting to hurt." His eyes grew gentle. "I admire you for having to deal with this everyday. It's even harder than facing the busu everyday when she scolds me!" Yahiko gave a satisfied smile as he heard her laughter ring through his ears. "So don't worry. Before you know it, you won't be tired at the end of each day. I'll be here. I'll help mop and clean and count money and pay the workers. Although, I have to tell you not to trust me with the money. I'm horrible at counting."

Tsubame giggled again, smiling sweetly up at him. "Arigatou. For making me feel better."

"Anything to make you smile, Tsubame," he replied, feeling as if he had accomplished his mission.

She blushed, hoping he didn't notice the redness of her cheeks. "Y-You're a really good friend...Yahiko-_chan_." He faked a pout at the dreaded nickname and she laughed yet again.

As Yahiko complained and whined about not being called "Yahiko-chan," she couldn't help but let her smile falter a bit. As happy as she was that he was with her and trying so desperately to make her happy, she couldn't help but give an inward sigh.

_Is that all you'll ever be, Yahiko? Just a friend?_


	4. Unlucky Day

**Denial  
By:** pnaixrose

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Rurouni Kenshin or the characters.

* * *

**Chapter 4:** Unlucky Day

The young waitress gave a casual smile before welcoming some costumers who had just entered. The two young ladies greeted her back cheerfully. They were regulars at the Akabeko and therefore Tsubame saw them frequently. They were also close friends of Tae-san and as far as Tsubame knew, they were as gossipy and as nosy as her boss. Yet, they were always extremely nice. A little eccentric at times, but still nice.

Tsubame walked over to the table they had chosen, seeing that the other customers were being taken care of and smiled as she greeted them.

"Why Tsubame-chan!" the woman in the light blue kimono said warmly. "It's a nice day. Pretty busy, too. You holding up okay so far?"

The young girl nodded and grinned. "I'm alright. Everyone here is working very hard and I'm so glad that they are. Tae-san only left yesterday and already I...I'm tired out."

The other woman looked to the busy crowd that afternoon. "Well, it's not easy managing a restaurant, especially one as busy as this!"

Scanning the restaurant briefly, Tsubame indeed saw how packed it was compared to yesterday. This was how it usually was, yet for some reason, without her boss, looking at the busy place only made her feel even more exhausted. How could Tae-san do all this and still have time to be her energetic, gossipy self?

The second day without the nosy manager...and lots more days to come. Who knows when she would return home again? Tsubame hoped that Tae-san's father would become better fast not only for Tae-san's family's sake, but also so she'd be back quicker. But she knew that was selfish. She knew that Tae-san got to see her father and the rest of her family again after a long time.

But there was also one thing that Tsubame was grateful for. Yahiko. Late last night, after the other employees and cooks had left, the two of them had cleaned the whole restaurant, had a small dinner, and counted the money. Yahiko had helped tremendously and had even made her laugh while working. Because of that, she hadn't lost spirit during the tedious job of counting money and the tiring work of cleaning. She didn't know if he had done that on purpose just for her...but she figured that he probably didn't. He's was always a loudmouth after all. But she liked him that way.

"I hope Tae-san's father is doing better though. I miss her already," the first woman said. Then she looked at the waitress in front of her. "Does this mean that you're all alone here, Tsubame-chan? She didn't leave someone to look after you? Mou...imagine that. Leaving a young, defenseless girl here alone?"

"Ah...n-no, she left someone here with me."

"Really?" the second woman asked curiously. "Who? She never told anything about this to us."

Tae didn't tell them about Yahiko staying with her? That was odd. They usually shared everything with each other. Well, it was a good thing they didn't know. It would save her a lot of embarrassment...and a lot more teasing. Tsubame looked down at her shoes and avoided the older women's eyes. If they found out then she'd never live it down. "Well-"

"Oy, Tsubame," a voice called from behind. "I'm back from the dojo. Anything in particular you want me to do?"

Her cheeks flamed as she turned and he casually laid a hand on her shoulder. It was just her luck that he would arrive _now_. Tae's gossipy friends were silently watching and there was no doubt that they could probably see how much she squirmed near him, especially with his hand just casually sitting on top of her shoulder.

Yahiko noticed the women sitting at a nearby table staring at him and he lifted an eyebrow. Jeez. Women are so weird. "What are you staring at?" He wasn't in such a good mood. He was never in a good mood after training with the busu. And losing to her while sparring frustrated him even more. Damn that woman. She always taunts him when sparring, knowing that he has a short temper. Sometimes that temper led to his victory and sometimes to recklessness. This time, it had been the latter.

One of the women curled her lips in a twisted smile. "Well, well, well, Tsubame-chan," she said, "Who is this?"

Yahiko heard his friend give a timid sigh and saw her glance at him nervously. Was there something he had missed? Women were so confusing.

"Myojin Yahiko," he answered for her, giving the ladies a slight nod. "I'm Tsubame's friend."

"Really?" the other one speculated. "What kind of friend?"

"Eh?" His eyebrows rose. What kind of friend? How many kinds of friends were there?

Before his confusion could be made cleared, he heard the distinct, low growl of the head cook from the kitchen. "Yahiko-kun! You there? I need you to help me out here!"

Yahiko growled in irritation. He was so tired! Couldn't he even take a second of rest?

And so, the boy took his leave, giving a baffled, weird look to the ladies before politely nodding his head. Freaky ladies...must be some of Tae-san's friends. But they were the least of his worries right now. Even though he was tired as heck, the restaurant seemed to be in full swing and the head cook always gets aggravated when his calls come unanswered.

Grateful that Yahiko had gone for the moment, Tsubame sighed in relief and turned to the women again, trying to act like nothing had happened. "Ano...d-did you two want to order?" she asked, desperately trying to change the subject.

But alas, she didn't get away that luckily. They disregarded her question quickly. She didn't even think they had heard her.

"Tsubame-chan," the one in the light blue said, "that Myojin Yahiko...you two are close?"

"Wait a minute," the other one said, suddenly realizing something. "Tae had said something about a Yahiko. Lives at that Kamiya dojo, doesn't he?"

"Oh my, Tae also said something about you, Tsubame-chan...and a boy who hangs out with Himura and Kamiya."

The two suddenly started whispering wildly, ignoring the fact that Tsubame still hadn't taken their order. It was like a gossiping frenzy and Tsubame didn't know what to do. She just stood there, overhearing everything the two said.

"You mean he's the one that she said who-"

"-Tsubame-chan and he are-"

"Wait, didn't she say that the boy's going to take care of Tsubame-chan while she's away?"

"No way! Do you think he's living with her for now? I thought that she meant that he would just check up on her from time to time."

"-sounds like something Tae would do."

"-back in my day a teenage boy and girl alone in a house was-"

The waitress turned bright red. Their whisperings weren't really whispers and other people around them could easily overhear the conversation. By this time tomorrow, everyone would know Yahiko was staying with her while Tae was away. Mou! This was such an unlucky day!

Tae-san probably knew that something like this would happen. She probably planned this all along. How embarrassing.

She really needed to clear her head for awhile. A short bath should do the trick. Her break was coming up soon. Just ten minutes of serenity would do. Then she'd go straight back to work.

...That is of course...if she could ever get these ladies' orders.

-

Yahiko sighed as he entered the small home of Tae-san and Tsubame. He desperately had to leave the Akabeko. The rest of the workers back in the restaurant would be able to take care of the customers at the moment. Right now he desperately needed a bath. He hadn't taken one after training at the dojo and now after helping out in the hot, sweaty kitchen, he really couldn't wait to get into the water. He wasn't even going to take time to warm up the water for the bath. Hot or cold...either one of them would make him feel better. He was just planning to fill it with water and jump in.

Closer to the bath, he really couldn't believe Tsubame had to endure this kind of work everyday. Just by helping out in the kitchen and cleaning the tables tired him out. She was not only a waitress, but she bought ingredients, took care of the restaurant, helped out at home...basically did a bit of everything. Tsubame must have lots of energy to do all this.

Yet she always had that smile upon her face. That sweet, content smile. You'd never guess that she worked this hard. She never complained and was always worried whether or not she was doing everything right.

Last night he had tried to lift her spirits while he helped her with various tasks. Even though he could blatantly see that she was very tired, she kept on going, smiling here and there at his words.

Thinking these deep thoughts, he never expected what happened next.

A slide of the door. The widening of his eyes.

A girl's scream.

Yahiko, flushed with embarrassment, quickly whipped around, his eyes shut tight, and smacked the door close, saying a flustered "G-G-Gomen!" all the while.

Without thinking, he went quickly to his temporary room, his face still glowing red, his mind in a jumbled frenzy, his heart pumping so hard that he could feel it in his ears.

H-Had he just walked in on Tsubame while she was...b-bathing?

-

The young girl, currently mostly submerged under a pool of warm water, embarrassingly slouched deeper into the tub, the water now almost reaching her eyes. Her cheeks were brighter than it had ever been as she looked at the door where Yahiko had been standing just a second ago.

H-How embarrassing!

B-But he hadn't seen anything, right? After all, her body, excluding her head, had been under water. H-He couldn't have seen anything!

But if he had...

Darn her shapeless, teenage body! Darn Yahiko for barging in!

This is what happens when you let boys in the house! It complicates things! She sighed, still red with humiliation and with a tinge of anger. But could you blame her? The one person she was so self-conscious around might've seen her naked!

She groaned in both embarrassment and frustration. "Mou...Yahiko!"


	5. Overheated

**Denial  
****By:** pnaixrose

**Disclaimer: **I do not own RK or any of the characters.

* * *

**Chapter 5: **Overheated

Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!

Why the hell did that have to happen to him?

A heavy blush ran across his cheeks as he remembered the sight of her soft, pale skin soaked in the warm water. Honestly, he hadn't _really_ seen anything that clearly. There hadn't been time with the fog from the warm water, the scream and the dizziness he felt as soon as he realized that he had walked in on her. But still, he had seen Tsubame _bathing_!

That incident had happened yesterday and ever since then he hadn't said a word to her. It was just too embarrassing! But he'd have to face her sooner or later. They were living in the same house after all.

He always noticed her now. And she seemed to be _everywhere_ as if she were following him! But in fact, it was quite the opposite and he knew it. It was _him_ that was following _her_. He couldn't stop it either! He felt like a damn stalker! Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!

He couldn't look at her the same way now. Every time he did he always pictured that momentary glance he had gotten of the softness of her skin, the rosy tint on her cheeks, her wet hair–

"YAHIKO!" A bonk on the head woke him to reality...a scary reality.

Kaoru was standing above him, looking mighty angry. In fact, he could almost literally feel the fire emitting from her.

"THAT'S IT MYOJIN YAHIKO! It's simply impossible to train you when you're being such an incompetent student! All you've done today was walk around in a trance like some kind of zombie!"

Yahiko didn't know what hurt more...the bump forming on his head or the sound of her bird-like screeching. He rubbed his head with a deep sigh, feeling a large headache coming. "Shut up! You're giving me a headache!"

Kaoru rolled her eyes, looking disappointingly at the boy in front of her. He was acting so different today. After all, he hadn't even called her "busu" once since he had arrived that morning for his usual training. Furthermore, his usual fervor to get stronger in his fighting skills had unusually died down today. His concentration was way off which was highly peculiar. She really was starting to worry about him. "Yahiko," she said with both concern and aggravation, "I don't think you should train today. You're definitely not working to the best of your abilities and I don't want to teach a student who doesn't want to be taught. What's wrong with you?"

"I-I'm fine!" he flustered irritably, his voice rising. "J-Just...it's nothing, okay?"

"What's going on?"

The teacher and student pair looked toward the entrance of the room and saw the red-head standing there with a pure look of concern on his face. He looked as if he had just stopped midway doing the laundry since his sleeves were still tied back. Kenshin must've been concerned with the yelling. There had always been yelling from Kaoru and Yahiko when they trained, but there had been a lot more yelling today than usual.

"Look, it's nothing okay?" Yahiko said quickly, looking at the wood floor. "I just..."

Kenshin glanced at the woman in the room and they both knew that there was something definitely wrong with Yahiko. The brazen boy never acted this meek before.

"Look, Yahiko," Kaoru said with a warning tone, "You might as well just tell us because we'll just find another way to find out. We could simply just ask Tsubame-chan, you know."

Immediately at the sound of her name, the boy's whole face grew as bright as a Kenshin's hair. The two adults in the room knew that they had hit the spot.

"Is there something you want to tell us, Yahiko?" Kenshin asked curiously, looking down at the suddenly shy teen.

"I..." the boy sighed as he threw down his bokken in frustration. Should he tell Kenshin and the busu? They'd probably laugh and embarrass him even more, especially that damn teacher of his. "It's nothing, okay?"

"That's it," Kaoru said adamantly when the boy in front of her didn't answer. She turned to the red-head. "Come on, Kenshin. We're going to the Akabeko to ask a certain waitress a question."

Immediately, Yahiko panicked and blocked Kaoru's stride towards the exit. "Okay, okay! I'll tell you! Just..." He gulped and turned a bit red. "Just don't laugh or tell anyone."

"Yeah, yeah," Kaoru said. "We promise. Right, Kenshin?"

He agreed with a nod.

"Okay..." Yahiko started as he started to unconsciously pace back and forth in the room. "I...I kinda did something stupid yesterday. It was an accident though! I honestly didn't know that was going to happen!" he insisted.

"What exactly is the 'stupid' thing you have done, Yahiko?" Kenshin urged.

The teenage boy bit his bottom lip in nervousness as he looked at his two friends. "I...I kinda walked in on Tsubame...while she was taking a bath yesterday."

An awkward, short silence ensued and was shortly broken with the unsuccessful stifling of giggles and a faint "oro?" Yahiko frowned as Kaoru finally couldn't hold it in anymore and broke into a fit of laughs. Meanwhile, Kenshin had a bewildered, tongue-tied look on his face.

The teen growled. "You promised you wouldn't laugh!"

Kaoru attempted to stop laughing her lungs out and tried to catch some air. "G-Gomen. It's j-just...a little funny." Her laughs dying down into chuckles, she wiped a tear from her eye. It was just too funny! No wonder Yahiko had been in such a stupor. He was only fifteen and he had seen a girl in the bath. His hormones were bound to kick in.

Yahiko, a frown still on his face, sat on the wooden floor next to his bokken. "What should I do? I haven't talked to her since then." He looked up at them, a hopeful idea forming in his head. "You think I could just come back home to the dojo now?"

"You wouldn't want to leave your friend all by herself now, ne?" Kenshin said. "Although I don't know what to do about the current situation, I definitely think you should stay with her for now. It may be uncomfortable but...ano..." He looked at Kaoru for help. Kenshin definitely wasn't used to giving advice about these things. He may be a master of swordsmanship but when it came to relationships he was absolutely horrible.

Kaoru knelt in front of the worried teen and patted him on the shoulder comfortingly. "Ne, Yahiko. Don't be such a chicken. Just go and properly apologize and everything will go back to normal. It's not a big deal."

"Are you insane, busu? She's probably furious at me! Besides whenever I'm close to her now I feel..." A blush spread to his cheeks and he shook his head furiously. "Gah! Just thinking about her I..."

Kaoru giggled. "Tsk, tsk. Don't be getting naughty thoughts now, little boy."

Yahiko gave a scowl. "Sh-Shut up!"

Standing up again, Kaoru said, "Well, just trust me. She's the one who's more embarrassed than you since she was the one who was taking the bath. Just apologize like a sweet, little gentleman and everything will be alright." She stretched momentarily and headed to the exit. "Go on and return to the Akabeko, Yahiko. It'll be useless training when all of this is on your mind."

Watching his mentor walk away, Yahiko sighed and stood, dusting himself off. Was Kaoru right? Would everything just go back to normal once he simply faced her and apologize? Maybe so, but he'd still think about her differently from now on. He was positive that the image of her bathing had burnt into his mind forever.

"Agh! I hate this!" he mumbled as he picked up his bokken.

"Gomen ne, Yahiko," Kenshin said. "I wish I were an expert on women so I can help you."

The boy gave a sigh and patted Kenshin on the shoulder as he walked past him. "Don't worry, Kenshin. If you _were_ an expert on women, you and Kaoru would probably be married and have kids by now and I'd probably be kicked out of the dojo and have to permanently move in with Tsubame. In an odd way, I'm glad you're a goof when it comes to relationships."

The short, red-head stood there awkwardly for a second as the younger boy walked away. "O-Oro...Was he thanking me or mocking me?"

-

Tsubame wiped her forehead with her sleeve as she laid a customer's order on his table. Just great. It was a scorching day and this had been the day where she had worn more than one layer of clothing other than her waitress uniform.

But she refused to go back to the house and change. Ever since yesterday she had grown warily self-conscious about her body and decided to hide every curve that she was beginning to get. Having Yahiko around sure made things complicated.

An embarrassed blush ran across her cheeks. Just how much had he seen yesterday? Oh, why'd this have to happen to her!

She was relieved when Yahiko finally went to the dojo to his daily training a few hours ago. Ever since the incident, he seemed to be everywhere! She had been so tense and nervous that she had even gotten several orders mixed up! What a horrible day! He wouldn't be returning any time soon though. Finally, she can relax for a little bit.

Yahiko out of all people had had to be the one who opened that door. Yahiko. The one she had liked for the longest time. The first and only crush she had ever gotten in her life.

Great. Now he'll never be interested in her! Not when he saw how undeveloped and child-like she was!

Just great!

"Tsubame-chan!" a voice called from the kitchen.

Hurrying towards the kitchen, she yelled a quick, "Hai!"

Upon entering, she spotted the head cook and asked him what was wrong.

"We seem to be out of a lot of ingredients today," he said in perplexity. "Did you remember to restock?"

Tsubame's eyes widened in alarm. Oh no! There had been so much on her mind that she had completely forgotten! This had never happened before. Tae-san would've killed her if she knew this had happened. "I forgot! Oh my, I'm so sorry! I'll go and get them right now!"

Grabbing some money, she ran out the restaurant and into the street. Worrying about how Yahiko thought of her definitely wasn't doing any good to her or the Akabeko.

-

A few minutes later, Tsubame returned with bags of food in her arms. She was really getting overheated now with the layers of clothing she had on, the sun beating down on her, and the heavy bags.

Heading for the back entrance since it was closer, she trudged along hurriedly, hoping that the head cook wouldn't be too angry with her recklessness. However, Tsubame was angry at herself. How could she let her mind wander so much that she forgot to restock the ingredients for the restaurant? Why did Yahiko have to open that door while she was taking a bath?

For some odd reason, her head was spinning, and she felt her eyelids getting heavy. Was she getting sleepy? No way! It was mid-afternoon and she still had tons of work to do.

Just a few more steps to the back entrance. After giving the ingredients to the cook, maybe then she'll sit down and take a break.

"Tsubame?" a voice said.

A person she had not noticed before appeared in front of her but her head was spinning so fast that the figure was fuzzy. But the voice was all too familiar. It was the person who made her all tense and reckless in the first place. "Y-Yahiko-kun? You're back early."

Carrying buckets of water to bring inside the Akabeko, he answered, "The busu let me out early today because..." Yahiko paused and shook his head, making up his mind now to tell her that he had talked to Kaoru about the awkward situation. "...Never mind. Are you okay? You don't look too well." He really was worried about her. She looked flushed and tired, like she would faint any second now. Yahiko walked towards her, offering a hand to carry the groceries.

"N-No Yahiko-kun. You're already carrying something," she replied feigning a smile. She felt terribly tired now. "I'm fine. You shouldn't worry about me so much."

But as she took another step, Yahiko noticed how unbalanced she was and hurried to try to hold her up even with buckets of water in his hands. "Tsubame, you should really lie down."

Before she answer, she lost consciousness and fell forward, right into Yahiko.

Vegetables, fruits, and water went flying as Yahiko got the wind knocked out of him and fell flat on his back on the ground, Tsubame on top of him.

"T-Tsubame! Are you okay! Tsubame!" he said worriedly as he struggled to sit up with a girl on top of him.

It was hopeless. She was unconscious.

Before Tahiko knew it, a bunch of the other Akabeko employees were gathered around them, probably alarmed by the crash.

"She fainted!" Yahiko said frantically.

But all the others did was look at him slyly with smirks on each of their faces. That was when Yahiko realized how awkward the situation was. Tsubame was on top of him...

He shook his head rigorously as a blush crept up to his cheeks.

"Th-That's not it!"

-

Tsubame slowly opened her eyes with a groan. Everything blurred and she squinted and blinked, trying to clear her vision.

She was in her room now, in her futon, wearing a plain white kimono. She felt so relaxed now compared to before.

What _did_ happen before? She remembered going to the market and getting groceries. Then she returned to the Akabeko and saw...

A blush found its way to her face.

...Yahiko!

A second later, someone came knocking on her door and she consented to their entry. It was the one and only Yahiko.

"Y-Yahiko-kun!" Tsubame said embarrassedly.

He grinned and knelt beside her, a look of pure concern on his face. "I'm glad you look a lot better now. They said you were overheated and fainted."

Tsubame looked down at her hands. She now realized that the layers of clothes that she had put on to hide her figure must have overheated her along with the sun.

Yahiko scratched the back of his head in shyness. "I...I was really worried about you, Tsubame. The whole time I carried you back, I was afraid something horrible had happened..."

She smiled at his boyishness and was instantly touched. "You...carried me, Yahiko-kun?"

He became even more embarrassed and nodded slightly.

Tsubame's smile grew as she and Yahiko shared a quiet, comfortable silence together. She realized how worried she had made him and instantly felt responsible.

It was amazing how Yahiko could totally surprise you. She honestly felt...cared for.

"Anou...Tsubame?" He said, looking down at the floor.

"Hai?"

"About yesterday..."

Tsubame's face grew bright red as she unconsciously drew back into her futon. She had almost forgotten why she was so stressed today! Was he going to ridicule and tease her?

Yahiko looked up at her with small, apologetic smile. "Sorry about...doing that."

There. He had said it. He closed his eyes momentarily, expecting a slap or a bonk on the head. But he realized that Tsubame wasn't fuming like he thought she would be. She was smiling.

He had to remember to thank the busu later.

She couldn't believe her ears. Did he just apologize? Impossible!

A full grin reached her lips. "Apology accepted."

Yes. Yahiko can really surprise you sometimes.

* * *

**A/N:** Haha I haven't updated this in so long. Well, hopefully people remember this! Review and I'll comment. 


	6. An Invitation

**Denial  
By**: pnaixrose

**Disclaimer**: I do not own RK or any of the characters.

* * *

**Chapter 6**: An Invitation

The young Myojin smiled as he placidly cut some vegetables into thin slices. It has been three days since Tsubame had fainted and the whole bath incident had happened. Now it was quite peaceful and comfortable living with her. It was even a little fun. He was getting to know her quite well. For instance, he noticed the lingering scent of lavender of her perfume whenever she brushed passed him. How she cocked her head ever so slightly to the side with a friendly smile on her face whenever she was asking a customer for their order. Even how she would stop for a second in the middle of her waitress duties, take a relaxing breath, and go on working.

Okay, so maybe he's been watching her a lot lately. However, it wasn't like when the bath incident had happened and he had been awkwardly conscious of her and had been a total stalker. Now it was...different. He couldn't explain it, but he always noticed her presence now.

He enjoyed her presence, too.

He had been spending a lot of time with her since they were working and living together (although he had always taken special care to knock before entering the bathroom now). After the restaurant had closed each day and the money and the cleaning were taken care of, they would sit in the small dining room of Tae-san's home and have the dinner that the chef always left them. Yahiko was surprised when he realized that this was the part of day he always looked forward to. They would sit together and eat while he told her stories of his adventures with Kenshin and she'd listen with excitement and wonder. He even told her the parts of their adventures where it wasn't all drama and fighting. He told her how beautiful and thrilling it had been seeing all those new places. He even told funny stories about everyone in the gang simply being stupid or clumsy. He found that he loved making her laugh...a lot. They would sit there pleasantly chatting and laughing just like...

...just like a married couple?

"Yahiko-kun!"

His momentary blush vanished as he accidentally cut himself with the knife. Cursing silently at his recklessness and in pain, he turned to the chef behind him who had called his name. "Hai?" he replied as he examined the fresh, long cut he had given himself with a look of pain and irritation on his face.

"Can you do me a favor and take this to table five? It's a busy day and we're short on waitresses today." The burly man pointed to a freshly cooked plate of food.

Yahiko nodded obediently and took the plate. Before he could walk out of the kitchen, the chef snorted and frowned. "And tell that guy that it's about time to pay his tab, will ya! That guy's in some serious debt. Don't know how Tae-san handled him..." he mumbled.

The teen laughed as he carried the plate towards table five, dodging busy waitresses at the same time. Tab? Debt? It sounded a lot like...

There sitting at table five was a spiky-haired guy fully clad in white, chewing on a fish bone. Yahiko rolled his eyes. "Sano..."

The customer noticed his food being delivered and laughed at the boy carrying it. "Well, well, well. I could get used to having Myojin Yahiko personally delivering me food."

Yahiko grumbled under his breath as he set the food on the table. "What are you doing here, you oaf? Aren't you usually gambling at this time of day?"

"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that," Sanosuke said with a frown and a nonchalant shrug. "Anyway, how ya been the last couple of days? It's been awhile since you've been stuck here, hasn't it?"

"Yeah, I guess. It's been okay. I've gotten used to it and I think I'm even starting to like it here."

Sanosuke laughed. "Told ya that you'll be fine. Anything interesting happen between you and Tsubame that I don't know about?" He smirked, stifling a snort. "Besides you walking in on her while she was taking a bath, I mean."

Damn busu. She probably told this fool. "Shut up," Yahiko retorted shortly.

The man laughed. "Anyway, I'm guessing that you've pretty much settled down here. Guess you won't be wanting to hear my little proposition, eh?"

The younger boy eyed his friend carefully. What was he talking about?

"Guess you haven't heard from Kenshin or Jou-chan, eh? You know that trip that I said I may be taking next year? Well I figured I should take it now. Won't be back for awhile. I thought that if you were still complaining about how boring it is here, you might as well come with me," he said as he started munching on his food.

A trip...with new-found adventures, the familiar rush of adrenaline, and the uncertainty of the future. It's what he'd been waiting for this entire time.

"It might not be as dangerous and exciting as Kenshin's trip, mind you," Sanosuke added. "But we'll still see new places and things that we've never seen before. New countries...new people...the works."

"And just why are you inviting me on this little journey?" Yahiko suddenly asked curiously. It's not as if they've been the best of friends all this time after all.

The older man laughed. "I remember you were telling me how bored you were with this place a couple of days ago. If the Jou-chan and Kenshin allow it, I figured that if you really wanted to, you could come with me," He looked up from his food, a small smirk on his lips. "Unless of course, something's tying you down. Say like a woman?"

Yahiko turned red with embarrassment at the man's sly, knowing face. It was even more embarrassing when he saw Tsubame's face pop up in his mind. "S-Stupid. There's nothing like that here for me," he tried to reply confidently.

Just then, a passing Tsubame noticed the older friend's presence and joined them both with a friendly smile, not noticing the blush on Yahiko's face when she came up beside him. "Hello, Sanosuke-san! I see you're back again," she said cheerily.

He gave her a grin. "Tsubame-chan! Looking pretty as always I see." At this he received a glare from Yahiko and a blush from Tsubame. "How are you managing to live with this brat here? I say, it must take a very skillful and patient person to do so."

Tsubame shyly giggled as her temporary roommate nearly popped a vein. "Why you big–" He balled his hands into fists. "ITAI!" he exclaimed, feeling a small burst of pain from his hand as he moved his hand. It was the cut from the knife he had given himself when the chef had startled him. He had almost forgotten he had gotten it. It seemed deeper now that he looked at it carefully in the bright light.

While Sano laughed heartily at his friend's pain-filled expression, Tsubame frowned at Yahiko. "You're too reckless, Yahiko-kun," she scolded as she pulled out a small clean cloth from her apron pocket. Gently taking his hand into hers, she wrapped the hand with the cloth. "Kaoru-san will be angry with you if that cut bothers you when training. Then she'll blame me for allowing you to work in the kitchen!" Tsubame said teasingly with a smile on her face. Suddenly a customer called out to her, needing her assistance. She apologized for leaving so abruptly and started to hurry away. "Make sure to wash it as soon as possible okay?" she added before completely leaving them alone.

Yahiko watched her rushing away silently and then looked down at his now covered hand, deep in thought. She had handled his hand so...gently. His ugly, calloused hand. No one had ever done that so carefully before...

"Yup, you're tied down," Sanosuke suddenly said, secretly watching the boy's reaction. He quickly received a glare and retorted with a smug smile. "But seriously Yahiko, I think staying here for a couple of years may do you good, especially since now you have friends and a family. Like a normal person."

"Why isn't it the same for you then?" the boy asked irritably. "If life is so great here then why don't you stay, too?...not that I want you to stay."

Sano laughed at his friend's comment. "I told you before, living life so steadily doesn't suit me. Sure there may be a couple of things here that I would've mind staying for," he started, thinking about a certain fox-lady doctor, "but I'm too impatient to be staying here. Besides, I'll always come back."

"What if I'm like that, too! Have you ever thought that?" Yahiko exclaimed, ready to accept Sanosuke's invitation in a flash. "I may be young and I may not have lived life normally in one place like regular people, but I still love adventure. What if I agree to go with you on your little journey?"

The man clad in white shrugged. "Then I guess I was wrong about you. Anyway, I'm leaving the day after tomorrow. If you truly want to come with me, then tell me before then."

"Oh, I will! Believe me!" Yahiko replied hotly.

"Well then, I'm off then."

As he walked over to the door, Yahiko looked down at the dirty plate his friend had left behind. "H-Hey, wait! You're supposed to pay, you know!"

Sanosuke looked back at him with a grin. "Put it on the tab." Then he walked out into the street.

Yahiko frowned and took the plate back into the kitchen to be washed.

Damn that guy.

-

Yahiko was in the kitchen of the Akabeko, washing down some of the empty tables with a wet rag. Sighing in fatigue, he sat down and lay his head down on the table. It was right after the usual afternoon rush of customers so he figured he was able to rest a bit.

He had been thinking about Sanosuke's proposition. A journey...it was the exact thing that he had been waiting for. At the time Sanosuke had been telling him about it, he had been seriously considering it and was about to "yes" right then and there. But now...

...Now he wasn't so sure.

Yes, he missed that uncertainty of going into new places and getting into some impossible situations. He missed that thrill of excitement, spending time with friends, and getting to know new people. But for some reason, his heart now felt unsure. What had happened to his free spirit? Had staying in one place somehow change him? Was he no longer the free, adventurous Myojin Yahiko?

Furthermore, what had caused this in the first place? He just couldn't place his finger on it and now it was making him very irritable! Something must've happened to make him doubt about going on an adventure...

Suddenly he felt a warm body sit itself next to him. He looked up to see a smiling Tsubame. "I'm sorry, boss. You're working me too hard," he teased, making her laugh. A pleasant feeling filled his chest as he saw her smile and he suddenly felt like smiling himself. "You seem like you're in a good mood today, Tsubame. You're smiling and laughing all over the place."

She blushed and quickly looked away. How could she tell him that the reason she was so cheerful was because she had been spending so much time with him? The past few days, they had been together many times and she cherished those moments with him so much. Those dinnertime chats and that boyish grin of his...she loved them all. "Wh-Why? Should I stop?" she asked.

No. Please don't. "N-No! Of c-course not!" Yahiko quickly replied. "I-I was just saying."

Tsubame laughed, lightening the slightly awkward moment. "Anyway, does your cut feel better? It seemed pretty deep when I looked at it."

"Oh yeah, barely noticed it after you took care of it," Yahiko said gratefully. "What would I do without you, Tsubame?"

He stopped. What would he do without her? Without her uplifting smile, kind gestures, and her simple but electrifying presence? If he ever went with Sano on that journey, how could he ever leave her now that they were so close?

Wait, did he have feelings for her? Was that why he wanted to be with her every second of the day?

N-No, it couldn't be. They had just become really close friends. That was all.

That was all...

-

"Now concentrate," Kaoru said, standing in front of Yahiko in an offense position. "Don't take your eyes off your opponent."

Yahiko nodded shortly, concentrating hard on her every move. Suddenly he spotted a flash of red and black from the corner of his eye and turned to see Kenshin and Tsubame at the door. Kenshin was standing there with a slight smile on his face, but what really caught Yahiko's attention was Tsubame, still clad in her waitress uniform. He suddenly felt self-conscious and found himself growing red. What was she doing here?

WHACK!

"ITAI! Damn you busu!" he yelled in pain as he held his throbbing head.

Kaoru sighed. "I did tell you to concentrate, Yahiko." She looked at him and gave him a sly, knowing smirk. "You shouldn't get so easily distracted by a certain little waitress..."

"Shut up!"

-

"Sugoi! That's delicious, Tsubame-chan!" Kaoru exclaimed after taking a bite out of the meal the young girl had brought them. "I'm so glad you came today!"

They were all seated at the table after finding out that Tsubame had brought a little snack for all of them. And frankly, Yahiko was glad for the interruption. His head was still throbbing from Kaoru's bokken.

The younger girl blushed. "Thank you. Well actually, I didn't make it. Our chef did. He said that I ought to come and pick Yahiko-kun up, seeing that they had everything under control."

Yahiko looked up in surprise. She came to pick him up?

Kaoru squealed girlishly. "WAI! How cute! Just like a little couple, ne Kenshin?"

The red-haired man chuckled and nodded, watching the two blushing teens. "I agree, however maybe you shouldn't embarrass them so much, eh, Kaoru-dono?"

"Fine, fine," she replied while rolling her eyes. "So Yahiko, did you think about Sano's offer? He told me he came and told you today."

Yahiko abruptly stopped eating, conscious that Tsubame was there listening to the conversation. He hadn't wanted her to find out unless he made up his mind to actually go. Why worry her with something that he might not decide to follow through? "Uh...yeah I thought about it..." he said.

"Well, have you come to a decision? If you want to, I would gladly take your place and temporarily live with Tsubame-chan until Tae-san comes back. I know that after all, Yahiko, this is what you've wanted to do for ages, but we certainly can't leave Tsubame alone."

"Huh?" Tsubame said in confusion.

Kaoru looked at the girl, startled, realizing that maybe she had said something she wasn't supposed to say. Her eyes widened. "Didn't Yahiko tell you...?" She looked inquiringly at Yahiko and received a glare. She realized that she had said too much. Damn her and her big mouth. She looked at Kenshin for help but he only gave her a confused expression.

"Tell me what, Yahiko?" Tsubame asked curiously, feeling a little hurt that he would hide something from her, especially since they were so close now.

"I-It's nothing really. S-Sano just invited me to...to come with him on a journey..."

-

After pleasant good-byes, Tsubame and Yahiko set out on the somewhat empty road towards the Akabeko again. There was a tense silence as they walked together and Yahiko knew that Tsubame was angry at him for not telling her about Sanosuke's offer. Hating the awkward silence, Yahiko decided to speak up.

"Tsubame, are you...angry with me?" He rolled his eyes at his own dumb question. Duh. Of course she was mad.

"Of course not," she said curtly. "Why would I be?"

In actuality, she wasn't only mad, she was upset. Not only did he not tell her, but she just knew that he would accept the offer. Spending those precious moments with him would be no more. She knew she was being selfish. Yahiko had been saying how dull it was here and how much he wanted to see the world. She also noticed how his eyes lit up with excitement every time he told her about his travels with Kenshin. Going on another journey was his dream. Letting him go would make him extremely happy, no matter how much it would hurt her.

Suddenly a hand grabbed hers, in an attempt to stop her.

"Well...you are trying to walk away from me rather quickly," Yahiko said.

Tsubame found herself turning around and facing him with a frustrated sigh. "I'm just surprised, that's all," she mumbled.

"It's really nothing, Tsubame. It was just about a dumb, old trip," he lied, trying to please her again.

Tsubame sighed, knowing that that wasn't the truth. It wasn't just a dumb, old trip at all! It was his chance for adventure, excitement...his chance to leave her. Her temper was rising every time she thought about it. But it wasn't really because she was angry at him...she was hurt. And hurt can always lead to anger.

"You and I both know that this trip is anything but dumb. You've wanted this for so long." She paused. "Have...have you decided on going?"

Yahiko looked away uncertainly. "I-I don't know yet. I think I want to but–"

H-He wanted to? He wanted to leave her? That did it for the already very upset girl. "Well, I think you should take it!" Tsubame exclaimed, suddenly cutting him off. "Nothing here is worth staying for, after all. That's what you always say. It's dull and repetitive and–"

He looked pleadingly at her. "Tsubame, I–"

"It's not like you have anything to live for here! Just accept the offer, Yahiko. I know you want it more than anything. Nothing's stopping you."

Yahiko looked confusedly at the angry girl. "Wait...you sound like...like you want me to leave."

"Maybe I do!" she screamed, fueled by her hurt and anger. "It's not like you would care anyway!"

The boy stood there in shock. A wave of pain settled itself in his heart after hearing that. She...She wanted him to leave? And what did she mean that he wouldn't care? Of course he'd care! In fact, he cared a damn whole lot! "That's not true–!" he tried to reply.

"Just...Just leave me alone," Tsubame replied quietly, prying herself from his grasp. She ran all the way back to Akabeko, tears blinding her sight, leaving Yahiko staring after her, still in shock.

She wanted him to leave? She didn't want him there? He just didn't understand. He had thought that things were going so well. Was he the only one cherishing those moments they were together?

Maybe...Maybe he should leave then! Tsubame was right! Nothing...no one...wanted him to stay. He could go and live freely again! Without this stupid city! Without Kenshin or Kaoru! And without her!

Without her...?

Why did it hurt so damn much just to think that? Why did her words affect him so immensely? They were only friends, after all. Just friends...


	7. Leave

**Denial  
By**: pnaixrose

**Disclaimer**: I do not own RK or any of the characters.

* * *

**Chapter 7**: Leave

Tsubame worked furiously as she wiped a table clean with a rag. She was steaming...furious! It was midday, the restaurant's rush hour and Yahiko still hadn't returned from his training. Where was he? Didn't he know that the restaurant needed him? Why that lazy, good-for-nothing, little...

"Don't you think that's clean enough, honey?" a fellow waitress commented as she busily passed by.

Tsubame stopped and noticed that indeed the table was shiny and clean. If she cleaned it any more she was sure she would rub a hole in it. She sighed, realizing how stupid she was for calling Yahiko all those horrible names. She wasn't _really_ angry at him...

...she was just so upset that he was leaving. He was going to leave and see all these wonderful things and would be so happy and content. This journey he would embark on simply proved that he didn't need her. He didn't need her at all.

And it hurt because _she_ was the one who needed him.

It was actually very odd. Yahiko was the free-spirited one who never needed a stable foundation. As for her, now that she had the restaurant, Tae-san, and her friends, she wanted stability. She was never one for adventuring. Hearing and listening to adventures, yes. However, she never felt like she was missing anything in her life. She always thought that she had everything she needed just living a simple lifestyle in one place. The only thing left she wanted was the one thing that wanted to get away and be free...Yahiko.

Yes, they were such different people, she and Yahiko. Yet she felt a special connection with him and his boyish personality.

It was so aggravating. She knew that Yahiko was going to go with Sanosuke on that journey of his. Did that mean that Tsubame meant nothing at all to him? That she didn't matter enough for him to stay?

She shook her head shamefully as she sighed. She was being selfish. Whatever Yahiko does...as long as he's happy, it would be fine with her. She needed to stop being so needy all the time.

Walking back into the busy kitchen she was bombarded by a chef who shoved a plate of food into her hands. "Table seven, don't slack on us now, Tsubame."

She gave a slight nod as she carried the plate. The restaurant was as busy as a bee hive, and here she was going into a daze! Forget about Yahiko for now. There would be time for that later. Right now, she had a job to do.

Besides, maybe it was a good idea to get Yahiko out of her mind.

Hurrying to table seven with a new, determined pace, she suddenly stopped cold as she saw the customer.

Sagara Sanosuke grinned and gave a friendly wink in her direction. "Yo. I'm back!"

Great. And here was the man who was responsible for Yahiko's leaving. Not that she disliked Sanosuke-san. In fact, she really admired the man. However, seeing Sanosuke-san made her remember that Yahiko was going to leave soon. How in the world was she going to get the boy out of her mind now?

-

"_It's not like you have anything to live for here! Just accept the offer, Yahiko. I know you want it more than anything. Nothing's stopping you."  
Yahiko looked confusedly at the angry girl. "Wait...you sound like...like you want me to leave."  
"Maybe I do! It's not like you would care anyway!"_

What the hell was her problem anyway? She knew more than anyone else that he wanted to get out of here again. Dammit. It was so hard to please women. Why don't they simply say what they mean?

Yes, he could admit that he was a bit pissed off right now. But he didn't really know why. Tsubame's words yesterday caught him off guard and now he was more willing than ever to just get up and leave the city right this second.

But why? Why did those words affect him so much?

"_Wait...you sound like...like you want me to leave."  
"Maybe I do! It's not like you would care anyway!"_

He balled his palms into fists. Just thinking about what she said...it just made him so...so angry!

"You seem distressed."

The voice startled him at first. Actually, he didn't know why he had been so startled. Kenshin had been in front of him the whole time. It wasn't unusual for Kenshin to be outside the dojo at this time of day. After all, he almost constantly did laundry out there. Yahiko had been so wrapped up in his thoughts he had forgotten about the red head. "Aa. Maybe a little," the boy replied.

"You've been sitting there for a while, Yahiko. Your training ended ten minutes ago. And," Kenshin said as he hung another piece of clothing up to dry, "you keep making funny faces as you daze off."

"S-Sorry. It's just that...I was talking to Tsubame yesterday about Sanosuke's offer and...we got into a little fight about it. Now I'm just so...angry for some reason and..." Yahiko gave a frustrated sigh. "Never mind. I'll see you later, Kenshin. I have to go get some supplies for the journey."

The older man watched the boy walk away grudgingly and gave a small knowing sigh. "You know," Kenshin suddenly said just as Yahiko taking his leave, "it's said that anger often stems from hurt."

The comment caught Yahiko off guard causing the boy to stop in his tracks and look back at his friend.

Huh? Him...hurt? By what?

"_Maybe I do! It's not like you would care anyway!"_

Yahiko gritted his teeth and walked out of the dojo. Judging by the amount of anger that was building up inside of him, he was _extremely_ hurt.

Oh, he hated it when Kenshin was right.

-

Tsubame gave the man his order with a slight smile on her lips. "Hello, Sanosuke-san," she greeted quietly without her usual gleaming smile.

Unfortunately, the usually absent-minded Sanosuke somehow noticed immediately. "What's wrong, Tsubame-chan? Not glad to see good ole Sano on this fine afternoon?"

He saw yet another unusual small smile. "I-It's not that. It's great to see you, Sanosuke-san."

Sano stared at her with a hard look on his face for awhile. Then he heaved a sigh. "Jeez. Are you two having trouble because of my little invitation?"

Her eyes widened. Was it that noticeable? "W-What are you talking about?"

"C'mon Tsubame-chan," he replied. "You know exactly what I'm talking about. You know, I didn't mean to create tension between you two lovebirds. But Yahiko's been complaining for so long-"

Tsubame cast her eyes to the floor. "I know...He'll be excited to leave this place again. You're a good friend for inviting him."

Sano gave a smirk. "Hmph. You didn't let me finish. A good friend? Me? It's true that he's been complaining but I didn't invite him because of that. I just decided to show his blinded eyes that his life is here, not out there. Maybe then he'd finally shut up."

The girl raised an eyebrow. Yahiko's life is here? Maybe this man was a little crazy.

"You look like you doubt me, Tsubame-chan," Sanosuke said with a sigh.

"Um...maybe a little, Sanosuke-san. As you know, Yahiko-kun wants to leave this place more than anything. Everyone knows that."

The man smirked. "That's what he thinks." Sanosuke looked at Tsubame and her uncertain expression. "He has a lot to live for in this city. He just doesn't realize it yet."

Yes, Yahiko has a lot to live for here. And it was time that the brat finally appreciates it...or more specifically..._her_.

Besides, it was time to bring Yahiko's incessant complaints to an end.

-

A certain boy stomped through the streets angrily, mumbling to himself. The busy crowd that usually swarmed the streets avoided going anywhere near three feet of the crazy teen. His glaring expression was just _that_ scary.

"'_You know, it's said that anger stems from hurt_,'" Yahiko said, mocking the laundry-loving swordsman, "Tch, Kenshin and his philosophical sayings. Well you know what? So what if I'm hurt? Anyone would have been hurt from what she said!"

Yahiko had just finished his supply shopping (in such a frenzied pace that he didn't noticed that all the other customers around him instantly disappeared) and was currently returning to the Akabeko. Kenshin's words from earlier that day were still fresh on his mind.

And it bothered him because he realized it was true.

Thinking that Tsubame didn't want him around hurt more than any flesh wound he had ever gotten. She was a close friend of his so it wasn't surprising that he would get hurt at what she said. Friends always fought and fighting always causes pain. Whether it is through swords or words, at least one person would end up hurt. It's not a hard concept to understand.

The thing that was hard to understand was why this recent fight with Tsubame hurt more than any other he had experienced. And the pain wasn't coming from a part of his body he could easily mend either. It came from deep in his chest...his heart.

He let out a low growl before gritting his teeth. "Fine then!" Yahiko yelled to himself, surprising everyone around him, "I'll leave! It's what I've wanted more than anything anyway! It's not like she wants me here! Dammit...I don't need her!"

It was then that he abruptly stopped his quick, furious pace. His eyes widened as he looked at the ground, oblivious to the stares he received from the people around him.

A flash of her tender smile. Her innocent laughter.

Suddenly, the thought of leaving this place hurt. He wouldn't be able to...be near her anymore. Yahiko clutched at the front of his shirt. Why couldn't he stop his heart from aching?

Yahiko stubbornly shook his head as he frowned. He was being stupid. It's not like he couldn't live without her. She was only a friend to him after all!

-

Sanosuke set his chopsticks down with a satisfied sigh, patting his full stomach. "Anyway, Tsubame-chan," he said getting up, "don't tell Yahiko about our little chat, okay?"

Tsubame gave a baffled shrug. "H-Hai. But you're leaving already Sanosuke-san? Didn't you want to talk to Yahiko-kun?"

The man shook his head and stuck a fish bone in his mouth. "Nah. Just wanted to talk to you actually. And to have some of the delicious food of course."

"Jeez...you and food," a voice said from behind him. "Sano, I hope one day you choke on a fish bone you constantly stick in your mouth."

Sanosuke smirked. "Seems like someone's a bit grumpy today."

Yahiko growled as he came up from behind him. "Shut up. Don't mess with–" He stopped abruptly as he realized Tsubame was there too.

The two teens locked eyes for less than a second before Tsubame gave a slight glare and turned her head. This little scene didn't go unseen by the amused man in white clothing.

Yahiko fumed. How dare she act all angry at him! _He_ was the one who was steaming! Giving a frown, he turned to Sanosuke, an angered expression written all over his face. "Neh, Sano. I got supplies today for the trip. How long do you think it will be, by the way? A year? Two years? Maybe more?"

A huge sweat drop appeared on Sano's head as he realized that the girl in front of him was gritting her teeth. Count on Yahiko to be this stupid and stubborn. "Well I–"

"Excuse me. I have to go back to work," Tsubame interrupted with a fake smile on her lips. "Sanosuke-san, thank you for coming–"

Yahiko balled his hand into a fist, noticing that she was deliberately ignoring him. Dammit...he was so sick of this! She frustrated him so much! "Why are you so upset about me leaving, Tsubame? You said it yourself! You...You want me to leave! I don't understand it! Aren't we friends Tsubame?"

The outburst took her off guard and Tsubame bowed her head a bit after a moment of realization. _Friends_. Of course. How could she be such a fool? Yahiko didn't have any feelings for her like she did for him. Even after living with her for a few days and having all those fun conversations, she was only a friend. Even so...she had thought that...well she was hoping that...that maybe he did.

No, she was being stupid. Maybe it was time that she realized that nothing more would happen. Besides, he was right. She was acting out of line. She should be supporting him, not trying to stop him. If she couldn't do that then she didn't deserve to be even a friend, much less something more.

Seeing Tsubame's reaction, Yahiko instantly felt guilty. He inwardly cursed himself, realizing that he had definitely said too much. How could he do that to her? "Tsubame...s-sorry. I was being stupid again. I shouldn't have-"

She looked up, a fake smile plastered to her face. "N-No Yahiko-kun, you're right. If I were your friend I should be supporting you. I'm sorry." Tsubame backed up and turned, about to run away.

A hand grabbed her arm. "Wait, Tsubame I-" Yahiko stopped cold, his eyes wide.

Her back was towards him and he couldn't see her face, but he was sure...he was sure that he saw tears streaming down from her eyes.

_He_ made her do that. _He_ made Tsubame cry.

Tsubame took that time to pull her arm away from him and run, not looking back.

Meanwhile, Sano slapped his forehead and sighed. "Yahiko...you baka."

Yep. That sure sounded like him.

-

Yahiko slowly walked back to Tae's eerily quiet house. The restaurant had closed a while ago and after cleaning it up and after finishing the other duties by himself, he had no choice but to face Tsubame. He felt horrible. She had locked herself in her room since their little argument that afternoon. It was passed sunset now and she still hadn't come out. Heck, she probably didn't eat any supper either.

Yahiko headed towards his room but stopped in front of hers. He looked at the floor guiltily.

She cried. And _he_ had been the one who caused it. Damn. How could he be so stupid? No matter what the situation, nothing gave him the excuse to make her cry! In fact, _no one_ should be making her cry at all!

He was so...angry at himself that he could almost pull out his bokken and smack himself across the head! Seeing her cry and knowing that it was his fault...gah! It frustrated him! But most of all, seeing her sad made him sad too. It was the kind of sadness that pulled at his heart and almost swallowed it whole.

Yahiko gritted his teeth and looked at the door in front of him. "T-Tsubame...ano...about today..."

Silence.

He tried to swallow to dampen his dry throat. He didn't know how to begin. "I-I'm sorry, Tsubame. Please...can I come in?"

-

Safely inside the locked room, Tsubame was sitting on the floor, leaning against the door. Her legs were cradled near her as she rested her chin on her knees. She had been sitting like this since that afternoon and was oblivious to the cramps she was getting from her position.

Tsubame closed her eyes as tears silently fell down her face. She felt so...defeated. Having accepted the fact that Yahiko would not see her as anymore more than a friend made her realize that talking to him again, seeing him again, or even just hearing him again would hurt because...she could never stop loving him.

Yes, this was no teenage crush. And even though she had never experienced it before she just knew that her feelings for Yahiko were the real deal.

That's why it hurt so much.

-

The silence was unnerving him. He began feeling desperate. "T-Tsubame...really, I'm sorry! You know me...stupid old Yahiko-chan!" he tried to joke.

No answer.

His voice became louder and more panicked. "P-Please! I didn't mean to...to make you cry! I would never want to do that!"

Nothing.

He let his head drop until it leaned against the door. "Tsubame," his voice was a mere defeated whisper now. "I...I would never...intentionally make you cry...because I never want to see anything but a smile on your face..."

-

Tsubame tried to ignore him. She really did try. But that last sentence did it.

W-Why did he have to do this to her? Why did he have to always insist that they were only friends but then suddenly say sweet things like that? Why did he have to constantly play with her emotions?

"Stop it, Yahiko-kun!" Her voice was coarse from not using it in awhile.

A sudden silence enveloped the other side of the door.

Another involuntary tear slid down her cheek. She really didn't want to deal with this right now. She didn't want to speak, hear, or even think about him. She didn't want to feel this pain anymore. "Y-Yahiko-kun...please...go back to the dojo tonight..."

-

His eyes widened. She wanted him out. Tsubame didn't want him here anymore. She truly didn't. Not in the apartment, not in the restaurant, and not even in the city. It seemed like she didn't want anything to do with him anymore.

He clutched at the front of his shirt again like earlier that day. His heart seemed to be throbbing even more than before. But this time, his whole body seemed to agree with it. He had never felt so much pain before.

"F-Fine," he said shakily. "I understand."

He was going to leave. Not only this apartment, but he was going to leave the city tomorrow with Sano. He had made up his mind and there was no stopping him.

And he wasn't even thinking about all the adventures he would have or how going on this journey was what he had been dreaming of for months. No. The only thing that was on his mind was how Tsubame wanted him out of her life. And if it would make her happy and stop her tears, he would gladly do it, no matter how beaten his heart felt.

-

Two pairs of shifty eyes watched as the downhearted boy left the premises. Two figures hidden among the trees smirked as they looked down at the Akabeko restaurant as they realized that this was their chance to act.

The brat was gone.


	8. Realization

**Denial  
By:** pnaixrose

**Disclaimer:** I don't own RK or its characters.

* * *

**Chapter 8: **Realization

Tsubame lay on her side on the cold floor. She hadn't even bothered lying on her futon that night. Her mind was focused on more important things than sleep even though it was the one thing she wanted to do right now. It was well past midnight, yet no matter what she did, sleep just did not catch up with her. The candle lantern was quickly burning away, most of its wax melted already.

She closed her eyes. Today would be the day Yahiko would leave.

She was dreading that moment. Actually, she dreaded the moment she had to face him again since all hope of ever becoming anything more than a friend of his had flown out the window earlier during their encounter in the restaurant. She had even considered locking herself up in her room until Yahiko's departure. Then she wouldn't have to face him at all and wouldn't have to say goodbye when he left. Yes, it was basically like running away but it would save her the pain, right?

But then again, if being a friend was the closest thing she could be, then she should take it. And what kind of friend would she be if she refused to say goodbye to him?

Suddenly she heard the faint sound of a loud metallic crash and her head snapped up in surprise.

It didn't seem like it came from inside the house...was it coming from the Akabeko?

-

The boy let out a frustrated growl as he tossed about in his futon. Dammit...why couldn't he just fall asleep? He was about ready to wake Kaoru up and ask her to knock him out with her bokken just so he can catch some shut eye.

With a defeated sigh, Yahiko sat up in the darkness of his room. It was a little weird sleeping in his own room again. He couldn't feel the presence of a certain girl on the other side of the wall like he did at Tae-san's house.

Tsubame...

He was leaving today on that little trip with Sano today and he wondered if he should see Tsubame and say goodbye and apologize. After all, they hadn't really left on good terms last time they saw each other.

He ran a hand through his unruly hair. But won't that make it worse if he saw her again? After all, she had made it pretty clear that she didn't want him around anymore. That's why he had distraughtly showed up at the dojo earlier that night after she basically kicked him out of Tae-san's home.

Why did her words affect him so much? Not only her words, but her smile, her laughter, her tears...everything about her seemed to affect him.

After spending all that time with her he realized that he did care for her. After all, she was an extremely nice person, she cared deeply about her friends without a care for herself, she always made him smile, and she was really...well...cute.

Everyone loved that girl.

His eyes widened at his last thought. "Do I...love her...?"

His breath quickened as he recalled the times he had spent with her since he started living with her. Even before that actually. But after spending time with her he realized it more. He cared for that girl. He cared for her a lot. He wanted to see her smile all the time, he wanted to protect her from anything or anyone, and lastly...he just wanted to be near her.

"Damn...I do love her."

That's why it hurt him, even physically, when she told him to go home. That's why knowing that he had made her cry devastated him.

That's why he was no longer desperately longing to venture the world.

The only reason he had agreed to it was because he thought she wanted him to go. Heck, he thought he wanted to go too. But no...there was so much in this city for him. And even though he would never be able to beat down bad guys and experience different places and talk to different people, he didn't care all that much anymore.

All he wanted to do was be near Tsubame.

He had to go back to apologize and make things right...or even just to see her.

-

Tentatively, Tsubame crept outside into the kitchen of the house, hearing her own heartbeat in her ears. Nothing but darkness. Eyes wide in fright, she grabbed the nearby broom, now certain that the sound had indeed come from the restaurant and she tiptoed to the restaurant's back entrance.

Swallowing hard, she stepped into the back entrance of the restaurant and immediately heard hushed voices coming from the kitchen. Inching closer a bit, she began hearing them more clearly and realized that they had found the small locked box of a good amount of money earned from the restaurant. It wasn't all their profits, only the profits from that week which she hadn't brought to the bank yet. Plus it included a good amount of emergency money that had built up over the years. It wasn't everything, but it was still a lot of money.

Tsubame bit her bottom lip in guilt while inwardly scolding herself. Usually she would bring the box inside the house and lock it up in a secret place. However, since she hadn't been out of her room since that afternoon, the money had been left in the restaurant in an obvious place. After all, no one except her and Tae-san knew the secret safe in their house. Not even Yahiko knew.

She peeped into the kitchen and squinted into the dark, finding two figures in the kitchen rummaging through the drawers and cabinets.

"There has to be something in this damn kitchen to open this thing..." the taller, scrawny figure said, opening the pot cabinet.

"It's probably in the house," the shorter one said.

The other one chuckled. "Well let's go. That dojo brat who hangs out with Himura isn't here anymore so we're home free."

"What about the girl?"

Another mocking chuckle. "Well if she gets in the way, we'll just dispose of her."

Tsubame's breath caught in her throat at the mention of her. This was bad. She had to go get help.

She backed away toward the door she came in from, but in her rush and panic, she tripped over her own two feet, yelping as she did. In the process, she dropped the broom in her hands and it clattered deafeningly on the floor.

Suddenly two pairs of feet scurried over to where she was, mumbling things incoherent to her ears as they did. Before she knew it, she was roughly pulled back and thrown into the wall. Before she could scream for help or even yelp in fright, she felt someone forcefully pick her up and clasp a cold hand around her mouth tightly, muffling her every word.

Her body shook with fear as she realized that she was being held captive. And as she spotted the glimmer of a dagger in the short guy's hand, she realized that she had gotten herself into a lot more trouble than she thought.

-

As Yahiko ran through the chilly, dark night, on the way to the Akabeko he felt a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach.

He couldn't place his finger on it, but something seemed wrong.

His fighter instincts had picked up and something about the emptiness of the streets and the eeriness of the full moon didn't suit well with him. And the feeling didn't get any better as he neared the restaurant.

Could it be that something happened with Tsubame?

Just the thought scared him to death. Unconsciously, he picked up speed, glad that he had brought his trusty bokken with him. Now that the thought of Tsubame being in possible trouble came into his mind, he couldn't take any chances. He's just have to get there faster.

Nothing had better happen to that girl...or else it'll have him to answer for.

-

"Well, well, well, speak of the devil," the tall one who had captured her said, "it's the little girl."

"You weren't about to go and call someone just now were you, little brat?" the other said, smirking cruelly while flashing the dagger in front of her face.

Tsubame pushed down her fear and tried to glare as menacingly as she could, despite the bad situation she had gotten herself into. She wouldn't let these fools, even if they were armed, get the better of her.

The short one let out a snort. "Oh, so you're a tough one, eh?"

But the other one holding her laughed. "Nah. She's shaking like hell."

The thieves shared a mocking laugh as she kept on glaring as hard as she could.

"Well, actually, this is a fine opportunity. Tell you what, brat, if you give us the key to that little box, we'll let you go and we'll forget that all of this ever happened," the scrawny one said.

"If not..." The other thief smiled cynically. "...Well, let's just say it won't be pretty."

She broke out in cold sweat as she looked into the armed one's menacing eyes. Should she just tell them? It would be a lot easier if she did. It could possibly even save her life.

No, wait. Tae-san was trusting her with this restaurant and she had promised to protect it with her life. She wouldn't let Tae-san's hard work throughout all these years go down the drain just because of one stupid mistake she had made. She was proud of this restaurant and nothing like this could waver that.

Besides, if she remembered correctly from all those stories from Yahiko, people like these could never be trusted. Even if she did tell them the location of the key, it still wasn't guaranteeing that they wouldn't hurt her.

So as terror-stricken as she was, she only stared back with what she hoped was a determined look.

The guy with the dagger frowned. "Don't you want to live, brat? Just tell us where the damn key is!"

Her only response was yet another shaky scowl.

Annoyed, the man held the dagger to her neck. Sweat beaded her forehead as the cold, sharp metal pressed gently against her skin. If the guy pressed the knife against her neck any more, she was sure that she was a goner.

She was confused and scared beyond belief. It seemed that she only had two choices now. Either give up her life or give up her pride...and neither choice seemed very appealing to her. Her head was spinning and suddenly she felt faint.

There was no way out now. She was dead.

Suddenly, without warning, a loud crash was heard and shortly after, she was roughly thrown off to the side, her back painfully hitting against the wall, but finally free of her captive's clutches. Confused and a bit delirious, she thought she saw a familiar figure outlined in the darkness of the restaurant.

"Y-Yahiko?"

The thieves however were not so excited to see the Myojin boy, especially since they had just been roughly hit aside by his unexpected bokken.

"Damn," one of the thieves said, "it's that brat from the dojo."

The other shouted in frustration. "Didn't he leave a few hours ago?"

Yahiko's eyes burned with anger as he glanced toward the girl crumpled down on the floor. Fire welled up inside his chest, and he gripped the bokken tightly.

No one threatens Tsubame. No one.

Meanwhile, Tsubame's head was still spinning with the idea that she had escaped possible death. She tried to focus as the three figures clashed in the dark. A few minutes of trying to figure out just who was winning, she was relieved to hear the short thief's knife fall to the floor with a metallic clatter.

A few minutes later, two bodies dropped to the floor, unconscious, and she felt someone sitting her up, holding her gently.

"Y-Yahiko?" she said tiredly, unable to see clearly. "I-Is that you?"

A flurry of curses erupted from his mouth as he held her tighter. "Oh god, Tsubame...I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have left you. I'm sorry for being such an idiot."

His voice started to fade in Tsubame's ears as her heavy eyelids closed due to fatigue and the night's occurrences. She felt her body suddenly feel terribly heavy. All she wanted to do was sleep.

She felt herself being wrapped up into a hug and instantly felt warm against his body.

The last thing she heard was possibly the sweetest thing she had ever heard in her life.

"Don't worry, Tsubame. I won't ever leave you. Yahiko-chan is here."


	9. Departure

**Denial  
By:** pnaixrose

**Disclaimer:** I don't own RK or its characters.

* * *

**Chapter 9: **Departure

It was the sun that woke her the next morning.

Actually, it was afternoon by the time she woke up. Her body had been that sore and tired from yesterday's events, from being locked up in her room and not getting sleep, and from that encounter with the thieves.

That's when everything started coming back to her and she suddenly sat up in surprise.

One look around told her she wasn't at home. From the look of it, she was in one of the rooms in Megumi-san's clinic.

A voice to the left of her clinic bed startled her.

"Looks like you're finally up."

She spotted a familiar face smile at her as the woman walked over to her bed from the chair she had been sitting in. Tsubame was relieved to see her. "K-Kaoru-san! About last night-"

"Don't worry. Yahiko took care of those jerks and brought you here right away. I remember getting a message really early this morning that he was here." Kaoru gave her a teasing frown. "You woke us up pretty early, Tsubame...and here you are waking up mid-afternoon."

"I'm sorry Kaoru-san." Tsubame smiled a bit and sighed. "So Yahiko brought me here..."

"Yes. And you should've seen him, too. His face was as pale as the moon, even when Megumi assured him that you had simply fainted of shock and fatigue. He was up all night looking after you."

The girl looked down at her hands, blushing a deep red. "He...did that?"

Kaoru nodded and giggled at the young teen's reaction. "By the way, are you sure you should be up already? I'm sure last night's occurrences must've made you extremely tired..." Kaoru looked at Tsubame's face carefully. "...plus with what happened earlier that afternoon with Yahiko. Sanosuke told me about it."

And suddenly, realization hit her. Sanosuke and Yahiko...They were supposed to leave on that journey today! In fact, they were supposed to leave this afternoon!

No...she couldn't let things end so abruptly this way. Sure, she may never be with Yahiko the way she wanted, but she couldn't just not say goodbye to him, leaving things the way they were. She had to see him one last time before he left.

Maybe...maybe she'd even tell him how she felt...

"Tsubame?" Kaoru said with concern. "Are you okay?"

The blue eyed woman was surprised as the girl suddenly jumped off her bed. "Kaoru-san, please tell me, when did Yahiko leave the clinic?"

Blinking, Kaoru replied, "Well, maybe about twenty minutes ago. But what-"

The girl's face suddenly filled with worry. "Oh no, he's probably meeting up with Sanosuke-san at one of the city's gates by now, right?"

Kaoru suddenly realized where Tsubame was going with this. "Well, yes but-"

Before she could say another word, Tsubame was already running down the clinic hall faster than Kaoru had ever seen her run.

"Wait, Tsubame! It isn't what you think it is!" she tried yelling after her. The raven haired girl sighed in defeat as she realized that the girl was possibly out of the clinic by now.

Kaoru smiled to herself. "Crazy teenagers..."

-

A young, black haired boy and a man riding a horse were standing by the city exit as people bustled by, ignoring their words of farewell.

Yahiko reached up and handed the horse-riding Sanosuke a bag of supplies.

"Are you positive about this, Yahiko?" the man in white asked.

The boy nodded confidently. "More than anything in my life."

Sano chuckled a bit and took the bag. "So I was right then. You're tied down." It was more of a statement than a question. He earned a bright red blush from the teen and laughed some more.

"W-Well...I just decided that I'd stay awhile...you know...just because...Kenshin and Kaoru will need me and-"

"-and Tsubame, too right?"

Another Kenshin-hair colored blush. Sanosuke smirked. Boy, was this enriching.

"Get outta here already you idiot..." Yahiko murmured, sick of all the teasing already. What was worse was that it was all true so he couldn't retort back like he usually did.

Sanosuke laughed and turned his horse, but before he can gallop away, he turned his head a bit and gave him a knowing grin. "I think you finally found what you truly wanted."

And as a reply, Sano was sure he heard a quiet, "Me too..."

Suddenly, a shout pierced through the afternoon atmosphere and interrupted their moment of goodbye. They looked back and spotted a flustered Tsubame running quickly towards them, almost pushing down a few people on her way.

"Yahiko, wait! Please, wait!"

She stopped a few feet in front of him, panting heavily due to her long sprint. He looked at her pink cheeks and her flustered expression in surprise. Her hair was in disarray, her eyes were full of determination and anxiousness, and her clothes had picked up quite a bit of dirt on her hurry here.

But she still looked beautiful to him.

He blushed at his thought and quickly pushed it down in embarrassment. "T-Tsubame...what are you doing? Aren't you tired? You should-"

Suddenly he found the girl clinging on to him and his eyes widened. "Tsubame...?"

Her head buried in his chest, he couldn't see her face but he cold feel the wet tears soaking into his shirt. "Y-Yahiko," she said shakily, "I'm sorry for being so selfish yesterday. I...I should be supportive of what you want to do. Even if..." He felt her hug become tighter. "...even if what you want to do will cause you to be away from me."

"Tsubame, wait I-"

"So I'm sorry. For making you worry, for making you go back to the dojo last night. I'm such a horrible friend when you've always been there for me...especially last night when I thought I was a goner." She pulled away a bit and looked up into his eyes. She smiled her best smile. The smile reserved for him and him alone. "So...I-I'm here to say g-goodbye, and that I wish you luck on your journey."

A quiet silence grew between them until Sanosuke's uncontrollable chuckles interrupted. He had witnessed the whole thing and had failed in trying to control his laughter. It was all just too funny!

The girl thought Yahiko was leaving!

Tsubame blinked, confused at why Sanosuke was laughing. She looked inquiringly up at Yahiko and found that he was smiling back at her, almost chuckling himself!

Was...was this funny to him?

"Tsubame, I thought I told you last night," Yahiko said, taking her hands in his, "I won't ever leave you. Yahiko-chan is here...for good."

It took a second for it to register in her mind. "You mean...you're not leaving?"

Yahiko shook his head, chuckling a bit. "I just came here to give the supplies that I bought but no longer need to Sanosuke since he'll need it a lot more than I will." He gave her a sly smirk as he pulled her slightly closer. "But it was sure flattering to have you come all the way here and say all those things to me."

She flushed and pouted at his teasing. "W-Well…I-I…"

Meanwhile, his laughter almost caused Sano to fall off his horse. After calming down a bit, he wiped off the tears that gathered at his eyes. "Boy, that was interesting…" He earned an embarrassed pout from Tsubame. "Well, kiddies. It's about time I left. I wish you both the best." He gave them a wink. "Yahiko, don't do anything I wouldn't do!"

The boy scowled while turning a bright red. He glanced at Tsubame and found that she was blushing too. "Shut up, you fool," he said, crossing his arms in front of him.

Sanosuke laughed and gave them a true grin. He was glad for them. These two deserved each other. Now that Yahiko finally realized his feelings for her, maybe something will finally happen. These two were almost sickeningly cute, he admitted. "Well, don't miss me too much."

The teens bid him farewell and watched him ride away. But he'd be back. Sanosuke wouldn't be able to leave them for that long.

But for now…

Yahiko glanced at the girl next to him, an uneasy silence enveloping them. His heart was beating so fast just by standing next to her! He swallowed down his fear and spoke up. "Ano…Tsubame?"

She turned to him, now quiet after realizing she had just embarrassed herself. "Hai?"

He faced her and looked at her meekly. "D-Did…Did you really mean what you said?"

She gave a small smile and looked away momentarily. "Yes, Yahiko-chan. Every word."

Yahiko's heart gave a huge leap, sort of how he felt like leaping now. Suddenly he couldn't help himself anymore. He suddenly enveloped her in his arms and held her close. Her body felt incredibly warm next to his and he smiled into her hair. "Tsubame, you don't know how much I miss hearing you call me 'Yahiko-chan.'"

He heard the tinkle of her laughter and felt her arms snake around him, too, returning the hug. Meanwhile, his heart was trying desperately to escape his chest to tell the world his newfound feelings.

God…how he loved her…


	10. Permanence

**Denial  
By:** pnaixrose

**Disclaimer:** I don't own RK or its characters.

-

**Chapter 10: **Permanence

It was nearing midnight when a familiar face stepped off a carriage, hauling her luggage off along with her. She gave a weary yet content face as she looked ahead of her and observed the restaurant. It was well past closing time, yet she dragged her heavy bag as she entered the quiet, dark restaurant. Looking around, she saw that it was in good condition and smiled to herself.

She was right after all. Her little protégé had done an amazing job taking care of the place.

After taking a quick look around, she continued on to the back entrance and headed towards her little house nearby. She sighed in relief when she finally entered the lantern-lit living room and stretched her aching arms, while walking further into her home.

"Tsubame? Yahiko? I'm-"

She stopped mid-sentence and widened her eyes in surprise. The sight before her was indeed quite a shock.

Before her, the table was full of papers and documents concerning money and employee wages. It seems as if the teens had been organizing the restaurant's finances tonight by lantern.

But what really surprised her were two figures lying sleepily on the floor, each with their arms and legs comfortably entangled with the other's.

A sly smile caught her lips as she stared in astonishment. "Well, well, well…guess I missed a lot while I was gone, ne?"

A tired groan erupted from Yahiko's throat as he held Tsubame closer to him. "Did you say something, Tsubame?"

She gave an equally sleepy moan as his actions caused her to cozy up to his chest more. "No…"

It was then that they suddenly realized that they weren't alone. They slowly opened their eyes to see the one and only Tae standing above them with a delighted smirk on her face. They both gave a short scream of surprise as they hastily disentangled themselves before sitting up and staring up at her, both with a bright red blush on their cheeks. Unfortunately for them, even the darkness couldn't hide how embarrassed they were.

The room was silent for a moment as Tae simply stared down at both them coyly.

"Ano…welcome home, Tae-san!" Tsubame exclaimed with a nervous, embarrassed laugh. Yahiko only scratched the back of his head and looked up at Tae-san's expression uneasily.

Boy, did she look scary when she was looked at them slyly.

The woman laughed as she smiled down at the two. "Well, at least you two are wearing clothes."

Yahiko almost choked as Tsubame's eyes widened. They both turned an even darker shade of red as they exclaimed, "Tae-san!"

-

"That's great that your father is feeling better, Tae-san," Yahiko said as he munched on some food.

It was early morning and the three decided to get an early start by having breakfast together. Seated around Tae's dining table, they all ate their breakfast just as the sun began to peek out from the horizon.

The woman nodded happily. "I was quite worried when I arrived. But by the time a week passed, I guess seeing me made him feel better because he was practically back to normal."

Tsubame looked at her boss in concern. "But you took quite a long ride back and arrived late last night," she said, "are you sure you don't want to take a break for just today and get back to work tomorrow?"

Yahiko grinned. "Yeah, Tae-san, we'll hold down the fort here! Ne, Tsubame?"

"Of course." She giggled. "But I think I'll be carrying the water bucket to the kitchen from now on. Remember yesterday when you spilled it all on your front?"

She laughed as Yahiko frowned. "Th-That was not funny! I was tired and I had just come from training where the busu gave me a big bruise on my arm." Stupid busu…making him look like he soiled himself. But Yahiko smiled at Tsubame's laughter and couldn't help laughing along. She's been making him smile and laugh a lot recently.

And he had to admit…he quite liked it.

As the two teens laughed, Tae looked at both of them and smiled. Looks like things had gotten interesting while she was away. It was exactly what she had wanted.

"So it looks like you two are quite close now," she said. Her eye twinkled, "especially from looking at it when I walked in last night."

Tsubame and Yahiko both blushed on cue and suddenly started to avoid each other's gazes. "Oh Tae-san," Tsubame said, "w-we were just tired. We just fell asleep. Believe me, Tae-san, we're just friends." She glanced somewhat sadly at Yahiko and forced a smile. "Ne, Yahiko-chan?"

He hesitated, gave a forced smiled back and nodded. "H-Hai. It was nothing."

Unknown to both of them, both their words had made the other's heart drop and they sat in a suddenly awkward silence.

Tae gave an unbelieving, "Mhmm…" But now she knew the situation. The two teens might've gotten closer and realized their feelings about each other. But they hadn't even confessed it? Darn! They were farther from what she had expected them to be.

Oh well. It just makes it all the more fun to watch them squirm.

"Well, I'm going to go to my friends' houses and drop a few things they had asked for," Tae said while getting up off the floor. "I'll be back in time for opening, don't worry. Oh! But I was thinking that we have a small party after closing time. I miss everyone and would like to see them all together. What do you think?"

Tsubame smiled weakly, still thinking about Yahiko's words. "Sounds like fun Tae-san. Be careful while walking around."

Tae nodded and gave a quick wave and smirk. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do while I'm gone!"

Blushes rose up on both of their cheeks, but the woman was gone before they could protest anything. They were left with an uncomfortable silence between them as they forced themselves to finish their breakfast.

"T-Tae-san's a little silly," Tsubame said weakly, looking up at the boy. "I'm sorry. I-I keep trying to tell her that we're just friends."

As Yahiko's dark eyes gazed into hers, she suddenly had to look away. Surely he would know she was lying through her teeth if he got a good look into her eyes. She didn't want to be just friends. She wanted to be more to him, she wanted to always be able to feel like she had been feeling for the past few days: just complete and utter happiness with him.

There was a chance that she would lose his friendship and damage this happy relationship they had if she ever told him how she felt. Even though it seemed as if he felt the same, she never knew with Yahiko. Before he started living with her, sometimes he would sometimes do the sweetest things for her without her even asking. Hold a bag for her, suddenly look up and smile at her, sling his arm around friendlily if they happen to sit next to each other. Other times, she willed him to do those things and he wouldn't do them.

It was always a surprise with Yahiko.

The boy she was thinking of gave a short nod in response. "Y-Yeah. It's okay. It's not like…like we'd ever be more than that." He almost outwardly winced. What a lie. What a complete damn lie.

But he couldn't tell her that that was exactly what he wanted. To be more than friends. These newfound feelings of his were too fragile and although he wanted more than anything to tell her…

He just couldn't.

There was a silence after that and sadness filled the air between them.

Tsubame felt her eyes starting to slowly well up with water and she quickly took her and Yahiko's finished breakfasts. "I-I'll get things cleaned up. You should go open the restaurant."

Her back to him as she cleaned off the plates in the sink, he looked down at his feet, defeated. "Hai."

As he walked away, Tsubame held in the tears that were threatening to spill.

-

"Mou!" groaned a frustrated black-haired boy. "Kaoru! Would you please get off your busu butt and train me like you're supposed to?!"

The woman he addressed was seated on the floor outside the dojo, bellowing in loud laughter. Kenshin was sitting nearby on the floor as well, taking a break from cleaning it. He gave Yahiko a feeble smile. "If you haven't noticed by now, Tae-san was here to greet us." Momentarily giving Yahiko a knowing look, he then looked at Kaoru and sighed. "I'm afraid she'll be like this for a while. Sorry, Yahiko."

Yahiko crossed his arms as he tried feebly to hide a growing blush on his cheeks. He had just arrived for lessons and it seemed that as soon as Kaoru had seen his face, she started snorting with laughter.

Tae definitely told her about finding Tsubame and him last night.

Damn.

"Dammit, Kaoru! It's not what you think!" he blubbered. "We were working late last night so we fell asleep–"

Kaoru stopped her hyena laughter for a bit to look at him slyly. "In each other's arms?!"

That shut him up and caused him to turn a beet red.

As Kaoru simply went on laughing again, Kenshin sighed and smiled at the boy. "She's just happy that things are going well for you and Tsubame-dono."

Yahiko gave a snort. "Yeah, right," he mumbled. "She's just ecstatic to see me embarrassed. At least Sano isn't here…"

"So you and Tsubame are what Kaoru and Tae-san call…" Kenshin raised an eyebrow, "…an 'item' now, ne?"

The young boy sighed. Ha. He wished. Yes, they've been closer than ever, and yes he did have an idea of how she felt by now through how they acted together. Yet she hadn't said anything about having any feelings towards him that implied that she liked him more than a friend. And surely, he could never confess how much in love he was with her.

So did she like him more than a friend then? Sure, they were closer than before and more open than before, but maybe it was only because he started living with her?

Yahiko had been thinking so hard that he didn't even notice that Kaoru had stopped howling. Both she and Kenshin noticed how much in a gloomy daze he was in. Glancing at each other, they both knew what was on his mind.

"Yahiko," Kaoru said suddenly, waking the boy from his reverie, "tell her, you baka."

He was flustered at her frankness and couldn't do anything but snort a curt, "I-I don't know what you're talking about."

But both Kaoru and Kenshin simply gave him a look.

"Yahiko, we all see what's going on. Isn't it time to confess it to at least us?" Kenshin asked.

God how he hated it when Kenshin was right…which was _all_ the time.

He heaved a huge sigh and plopped down on the floor with them, all the while scratching the back of his unruly head. Yahiko looked at his two mentors – friends, really – apprehensively. It felt like there was a huge bubble in his chest just waiting to burst. He had to tell someone, and the busu and Kenshin were the perfect people to confide in. He had never been sure of anything as he was sure of this feeling…but he was scared all the same.

"…I love her..."

There. He had said it out loud. It was out in the open.

And damn did it feel good.

He looked down at his feet as he spoke with the outmost sincerity. "…but, I'm way too chicken to do anything about it. I want to tell her though. In fact, I want to shout to the whole world that I love her and that I would do anything in the world for her. It's like there's something welling up inside of me everyday I waste not telling her. Sooner or later I won't be able to take it. But…" he paused and sighed, "…I can't do it. I-I'm …scared."

There was silence for a while. It was quite stilling to hear Yahiko to talk to seriously about something that Kaoru and Kenshin knew that this was the real deal. Furthermore, he had admitted being scared to something. And to think, it was a sweet, little girl who made him do all this!

Surprisingly, it was Kenshin, not the crazy matchmaker Kaoru, who was the first to talk. "Yahiko," Kenshin said with a gentle smile, "do you want to know the three steps in fighting?"

Both Yahiko and Kaoru looked at him in confusion and wondered where this was going. Yahiko nodded and listened intently, already knowing that this was no ordinary theory of Kenshin's.

"What you did just now, confessing your fears, was a very brave thing. In a fight, that's the first critical step indeed, confessing to yourself that you might be scared of possibly facing death, that you do have weaknesses that can be found out. The next step is to assess the _reason_ of the fight, _why _you would be willing to fight and whether or not that reason is worth fighting for despite your fears." Kenshin placed a comforting hand on the boy's shoulder. "The last…is to actually fight while keeping in mind the consequences of the battle, your motivation, your weaknesses. But all you have to do then…is _fight_ for your beliefs. And usually, if your heart and mind are in the right place, you succeed."

Confessing your fears. Figuring out if the fight is worth fighting for. And then fight.

Well, the confessing your fears part of it was easy. Yahiko knew he was scared shitless of Tsubame's feelings, of being rejected, of having his first feelings of love shot down just after he figured out this wonderful but gut-wrenching emotion.

But was it worth it? Was it worth having his feelings known, of telling her all of this, despite possibly having his heart torn in two?

Yes. It was. Even if she doesn't feel the same, even if their relationship seemed like it could go further – and boy, does he want it to go further – but actually can't, he would still tell her.

Yahiko smiled triumphantly to himself. He knew what he had to do now.

He had to fight.

-

It was dark out now. Only the stars illuminated the night sky as a small group of people gathered inside the Akabeko.

It was past closing and a continuous chit chat and laughter wafted from the restaurant. Employees, cooks, friends, and of course, the Kenshingumi – minus Sano – had met up to celebrate Tae-san's safe coming home and the recovery of her father. Drinks and food were passed along and the group simply enjoyed their time together.

As people welcomed the woman back and told her all the latest happenings going around, Yahiko took time out of his conversation with Kaoru, Kenshin, and Dr. Genzai to look around at what everyone else was doing.

...Okay, so maybe he only cared what a certain waitress was doing.

Tsubame was still doing some last minute cleaning as she swept the floor hurriedly. Yahiko frowned. She was such a perfectionist! Couldn't she take a break and enjoy herself for once?

Walking over to her, he placed a hand on her shoulder, which seemed to startle her. She looked up and saw his concerned face. "Y-Yahiko? What's wrong?"

He gave a crooked smile. "You dummy. Stop cleaning! Have some fun!"

Tsubame giggled. "Alright, alright. In just a second, okay?" She placed the straw broom against the wall and headed out the back entrance. "I just have to wash the remaining dishes in the kitchen."

He rolled his eyes as he smiled to himself and shook his head. "Oh no, you don't!" he yelled running after her.

Back inside the Akabeko, Tae's friends had seen the scene and smiled up at each other knowingly.

"Tae-san, looks like your restaurant's heir has a king."

Tae smiled. "Of course! That's how it was to be from the beginning!"

"I wonder how things developed while you were away."

Another friend grinned slyly. "Did you hear that the boy walked in on her in the bath and saved her from some restaurant robbers a few days ago?"

The restaurant owner's eyes bulged as she giggled evilly. "I didn't know that! I guess things developed a lot faster than I expected!"

-

"Oh, Yahiko-chan, I don't need help," Tsubame said, laughing as she reached into the well for a bucket, leaning over the stone edge of the well, "besides, we all know what happens what you carry water." She looked at him momentarily to give him a smirk.

"Sh-Shut up!" he said with a fake pout. "I still want to help! You shouldn't be working during a party."

He reached in the well from behind her, unknowingly placing a protective arm on her waste while reaching for a bucket with the other.

They fumbled around for a bucket for a few seconds before they both realized how close they were to each other. Tsubame could feel his muscular chest on her back and the flexing of his arm as he reached into the well. She blushed as she clumsily felt for the bucket handle and often collided with Yahiko's hand instead. "S-Sorry."

"Th-That's okay," he grunted. Yahiko almost grew dizzy from the faint vanilla smell of her hair, which would easily graze his cheek and his nose. He almost couldn't stand how perfect her small frame felt standing there, practically in his arms – well, right now arm.

"I can't find it," Tsubame said and she felt the boy behind her agree with a nod. She suddenly looked up and spotted the bucket not far away lying on its side next to the restaurant building's wall. "Oh, there it is!"

She turned around suddenly, about to go get it when she realized that she was trapped between the well's edge and Yahiko and his arms. She looked at him and he was startled. She probably should've told him that she was going to move. Tsubame felt heat rise to her face as she realized that their noses could touch within just a few inches. She could feel his warm breath hitting her forehead.

The boy was startled. Now with both hands on her waist, he didn't know how they got into this position, face-to-face, practically nose-to-nose, lips-to-lips.

Oh, those lips…soft and full and-

Yahiko willed himself to stop thinking about them. But the stars and moon illuminated her face so delicately, as if she was an angel. Unconsciously, he pulled her closer so that her hands rested gently on his chest and his hands rested on the small of her back, wanting to feel how this angel felt in his arms.

Tsubame was drunk by being so close to him. "Y-Yahiko?"

With her soft whisper, he suddenly realized what he was doing and quickly, but reluctantly, let go and took a few steps back. He scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "S-Sorry, Tsubame! I didn't…I shouldn't-"

"I-It's alright, Yahiko," she said as she walked toward the bucket and picked it up. She turned around to him, bucket held in her hands in front of her. She looked up at him shyly as he stared back.

It took Yahiko a few minutes to recover from being so close to her. Then suddenly he wanted to tell her. Confess everything. Let her know how much he loved–

"Well, I better get back inside," Tsubame said as she quickly filled up the bucket with water.

Before Yahiko could open his mouth and say anything, he suddenly grew fearful again and was frozen in place.

Tsubame hurried, not wanting anymore of this awkwardness between them. "I'll see you inside."

Yahiko watched mutely as she retreated back inside the Akabeko.

"I-I love you," he heard himself say.

But naturally, she was already inside. Only the wind seemed to hear his confession.

He cursed at himself and sighed. "Oh okay, _now_ you say something! Yahiko, you baka!"

He slapped his forehead in frustration as he walked back into the Akabeko.

-.

It was getting late and all of Tae's guests had left except for the three residents of the Kamiya dojo. They were sitting and talking with Tsubame at a table as Tae said farewell to some of her friends that were leaving.

"Water all over his pants?" Tae heard Kaoru say while laughing as Tae walked back to them.

Tsubame giggled and nodded. "It was actually really funny. It was right in front of all the customers so they were laughing as well."

Yahiko frowned and held his head with a hand. "Must we _always_ talk about _my_ embarrassing moments?" He heard Kenshin chuckle and gave him a quick glare. Kenshin coughed suddenly, stopping his chuckling altogether.

Seeing Tae arrive, Kaoru stopped howling and gave her a smile as she stood up. "Well, Tae, I'm glad you're back! Who am I supposed to gossip with while you're gone!" Kaoru said. "But it's late and we shouldn't intrude, especially since it's your first night back."

Kenshin nodded in agreement and stood up, following Kaoru in suit. "You must be quite exhausted right now. We'll get out of your hair."

Tae smiled and bowed a bit. "Thank you guys again for coming, and for all you've done while I was away, especially taking care of Tsubame and the restaurant."

Kaoru shook her head. "It's not a problem at all. We were glad to do it, especially Yahiko." She glanced at him with a smirk. "Ne, Yahiko-chan?"

Still seated next to Tsubame, he grunted in reply, his arms crossed in front of him.

"Well, are you ready to go? Are you all packed?" Kenshin asked the young boy.

Yahiko looked up in confusion. What was he talking about? "Huh? For what?"

Kaoru rolled her eyes. "For going home, silly. Don't tell me you didn't pack yet."

Slowly, realization sunk in. He wouldn't be staying in Tae-san's house any longer. This was it.

He grew gloomy thinking about leaving the Akabeko and Tsubame. He had enjoyed himself so much even if there was a lot of work to do. Plus…

He glanced at Tsubame who glanced at him back. She looked sad, as if she too hadn't realized that their fun together would end, that he would eventually have to go home.

Yahiko looked away quickly. He couldn't stay, although he wanted to. This wasn't his home. He would have to get back to reality soon anyway.

The reality that Tsubame and he were not together although he willed it so.

"I-I'll go get my stuff."

-

Damn, this was stupid. It felt so wrong.

It was the second time that Yahiko had to sleep back in the dojo ever since he started temporarily living at Tae's. And just like the first, he couldn't sleep, couldn't get his mind of Tsubame and how he should be with her right now or at least near her.

He frowned as he rolled around in his futon, trying to get his mind off things. Of course, his brain and his heart didn't listen to their master.

It just felt so wrong.

Every time he tried to close his eyes, he would picture her, how the moon had illuminated her face tonight, how angelic she looked, how soft her hair felt as it brushed against him, how amazing it felt to hold her in his arms.

God…if only she could be his so he could taste those lips of hers.

Yahiko decidedly threw his futon aside as he got up. Okay, that was it. He was going to go and tell her. He didn't care if it was in the middle of the night or that he would be waking her.

He needed to tell her. It would be the only remedy to his constantly pumping heart…

…or it would make his heart pump even faster.

-

She hated this feeling, knowing that he wasn't sleeping in the room beside hers. She felt so…empty without his presence here.

She sighed as she rolled around in her futon, trying to close her eyes and gently fall into a deep sleep. It was no use though. It was impossible.

Tsubame opened her eyes, the moon illuminating some light in through the windows. She hadn't realized that Yahiko would actually _leave_. She had just assumed that he would be with her, near her…always. She didn't get a chance to tell him her feelings. And now…she probably never will. Everything will probably just fall back into the rhythm of how things were before Tae had left.

But oh, how she wanted to tell him. To have him hold her in his arms again like they had tonight near the well. To see him smile back and reply that he loved her to. Oh how she wished it.

Then she realized something. She couldn't just lie here thinking about him, _wishing_ him to do something she wanted him to. She had to take action, to confess her feelings first.

And suddenly a great surge of courage welled up in her as she got up from her futon and exited her room. Suddenly it didn't matter if he didn't feel the same, if they would never be friends. She just wanted to tell him. And she knew that if he didn't feel the same, he would still be there protecting her, caring for her anyway.

That was just how Yahiko was.

-

Walking from her house to the restaurant, planning to go through it to use a shorter way of getting to the Kamiya dojo, Tsubame couldn't help but grin to herself. This was it. She was going to tell him after all this time.

As she unlocked the back entrance of the Akabeko and tiptoed in, she was assuredly confident in herself for some reason. Maybe it was the horrid thought that things might go back to the way things used to be, before Tae took her trip. She didn't want that and she was sure that would happen gradually if she didn't tell her feelings to Yahiko right now.

Suddenly she saw a figure in the darkness ahead. It had just entered the front entrance. How it entered she had no idea because it was sure to be locked. She had always tripled checked that it was locked ever since the attempted robbery.

She was scared suddenly, but somehow she felt a surge of courage as well. No way she was going to let some petty robber ruin her defiant stride toward telling Yahiko how she felt. No way she was going to feel weak against some thief.

Suddenly, without thinking, Tsubame felt herself leap against the shadow, yelling an assailant's scream.

-

Yahiko stepped into the restaurant quietly, using an extra key Tsubame had given him. He was lucky he had forgotten to return it, or else he would have had to wait till morning to confront Tsubame. And he was sure that by then, his willingness to tell her would be gone.

He felt somewhat like a stalker or a thief as he quietly tried to sneak through the restaurant. But somehow he didn't feel like a trespasser. He had gotten used to the Akabeko, knew all of its nooks and crannies.

This was like home to him now.

That thought alone caused him to smile.

Suddenly he spotted a shadow up ahead and immediately got on the defensive. His first thought was that it was another robber and that he had to get to Tsubame as fast as he could to protect her, or else finish this guy right here and now. He couldn't have Tsubame as frightened as she was that night when thieves had raided the restaurant. His heart wouldn't be able to take it if he knew that she was in danger again.

But slowly, as his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he saw the figures of a yukata and medium-long hair. And since when were there robbers who were smaller and more petite than he was?

Could it be?

"Tsu-"

But suddenly she yelled and tackled him to the ground. He felt the wind knocked out of his lungs as his back hit hard wood. Now he knew that it was her. Cracks of moonlight illuminated into the restaurant and revealed her pale, soft skin and her brown hair. But as she pelted him with her punches, she closed her eyes and she didn't realize it was him.

Still feeling the wind knocked out of him because she was straddling him and punching him at the same time, it was hard for him to speak, especially when she started aiming for his face.

He desperately tried to stop her, and finally after a short while, caught her thin wrists with his hands. He watched her struggle in fright. "I-It's me!" he heaved. "Tsubame, it's me, Yahiko!"

It was then that Tsubame opened her eyes in confusion. She saw that her "assailant" had indeed been the one person she had been going out to see. "Y-Yahiko!"

"God, Tsubame…you sure do know how to pack a punch!" But damn…that physical aggression, how she straddled him was…sexually exhilarating? He forced the thought out of his head as Tsubame laughed in relief and suddenly hugged him, her face buried in his clothes.

"Y-Yahiko! You don't know how glad I am to see you! I was so scared!"

He hugged backed momentarily and slowly lifted her off of him. She stood up and gave him a hand to help him up as well.

Taking it, he rubbed his sore shoulders and chest. Ouch. And did he feel a bruise forming on his cheek?

"I-I'm sorry, Yahiko. I thought you were a thief." Yahiko rubbed his face as he slowly looked up at her. She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. Why did he seem so upset? Was he _that_ mad that she had tackled him?

Anger and some fear suddenly welled up inside of the boy. "Tsubame, you mean to tell me that you unknowingly lunged at a possible assailant?" He watched as she looked at him guiltily and he suddenly blew up. Was she crazy? Did she _want_ to get hurt? "T-Tsubame! Did you realize that if I _was_ a robber that I could have had a _weapon_! I could've had knife o-or a sword o-or a gun or…" He gave her a long, hard look as he continued to ramble. "God, Tsubame, you can't just go running to your death so easily! W-What would I have done if you _did_ get hurt! Didn't you realize how fucking scared I was that night when those real thief bastards had sneaked in!" He grabbed her hands in his and brought them to his chest, a sincere look in his face. "Don't _do_ that okay? Leave the bad people to me. It's my job, I'll protect you. God, don't you realize how I'd feel if you got hurt, Tsubame? Don't you realize how much I care about you? How much I love y–"

Suddenly, he realized how far he had gone. He widened his eyes as he watched Tsubame look up at him, startled, no doubt, by his outburst and his sudden confession.

He didn't want it to happen this way. He had wanted it to be romantic, perfect, a confession that all girls would have wanted.

Yahiko's hands, still holding Tsubame's, started trembling. She saw his anxiousness and his fear in his eyes. But she was frozen in shock. He had just said that…he loved her?

"T-Tsubame…I-I meant…you…I…" Yahiko nearly cursed out loud at himself. He sounded like a blubbering fool! No way Tsubame would ever love him back now! As if he had a chance in the first place…

He was pulling his hands away from her when she suddenly firmly gripped them with her own. He looked up in confusion and saw that she had a determined look in her eyes. "Tsubame?"

Slowly she brought herself closer to him. And when she could get no closer she stood on her toes and reached up to finally feel those soft lips on hers, pausing a moment before finally contacting with him.

Yahiko was, with lack of a better word, surprised. His eyes widened, feeling those full lips of hers against hers, feeling an unusual sensation that he had never felt before. It was a good feeling, one which sent shivers down his spine and sent his whole body into a tremble.

Getting over his initial shock, he deepened the kiss, releasing her hands and wrapping his own behind her back, pulling her as close as she can possibly be, as he closed his eyes. So this is what it felt like? Loving a girl, kissing her, wanting to be with her for the rest of his life?

It felt amazing, exhilarating, exciting…even more so than those adventures he had gone on with Kenshin.

…Much, _much_ more.

Then suddenly, he felt her pulling away and he gave a pathetic whimper. Damn…he wanted more…much, _much_ more.

He'd never felt like such a greedy bastard in his life.

He slowly opened his drunken eyes and looked down at Tsubame's angelic face, the tint of red on her cheeks, her sheepish eyes…

…and those oh so full lips he had recently just made look somewhat bruised.

The whole look of her wanted him to kiss her again…and again and again.

"I love you, too," she said with a small, joyful smile on her face, "Yahiko-_chan_."

Suddenly his heart exploded with those few words, even with the added "chan." He broke into a goofy grin and held her close so that her head rested on his shoulders.

He heard her give a short chuckle. "You…You don't know how long I've been wanting to say that."

Yahiko closed his eyes and breathed into her hair. "Tsubame…you should have said it earlier. I didn't know it would feel this amazing," he whispered. "God, I love you, Tsubame."

Tsubame smiled into his yukata and slowly pulled away to look up at him again, giving him a smile. "If I promise not to tackle potential attackers, will you promise to stop yelling at me?"

"Alright." Yahiko smirked naughtily. "But I have to say I rather liked that tackle."

Before Tsubame can pull her smile into a laugh, she was pulled against him, her lips once again being caressed with his.

He had earned a gasp from her by pulling her and he smiled against her lips as their kiss became passionate and deep. Wrapping her once again as close as she can possibly get to him, he became brave and meekly prodded her lips with his tongue, wanting to fully taste her, to indulge himself in this ecstasy. She answered by allowing his tongue's entrance and she gave a slight gasp yet again as she felt him anxiously invading her mouth.

Tsubame smiled. Boy, did he enjoy kissing. And boy, she didn't know she would enjoy it this much either.

He gave a slight moan when they heard someone suddenly clear her throat. They quickly pulled away from each other in embarrassment and realized that someone had entered the back entrance with a lantern in her hand.

"T-Tae-san!"

She gave a pretend sigh as she smiled. "I thought that something was wrong. I heard a crash and yells." She looked slyly at them. "But I guess I mistook it for lovemaking."

Her comment definitely earned a deep red blush from both teens who she knew were suddenly thinking about her implication of "lovemaking."

"W-We were just…I was just…" Yahiko stuttered.

Tae-san tsked and sighed. "Oh Yahiko-kun, what am I to do with you? I can't have you secretly meeting with my protégé at night can I?"

Yahiko and Tsubame looked at each other sheepishly.

"I guess I have no other choice. I can't have you keeping my most employee awake at night. You'll have to move in with us now, if Kaoru-san allows it," Tae looked up at their hopeful faces and smiled. "Permanently."

"R-Really, Tae-san?" Tsubame exclaimed hopefully.

Tae nodded and then gave a sly smirk. "As long as Yahiko doesn't sleep in your room Tsubame…or else you really _will_ be awake all night."

Both teens looked at each other and blushed. "M-Mou…Tae-san, you sure know how to embarrass a guy," Yahiko commented, frowning and crossing his arms in front of him, but really smiling inside. But he sighed and finally wrapped his arm around Tsubame, looking at her beautiful smile and feeling completely exhilirated.

This feeling...was way more rewarding than any adventure he had ever felt. That feeling of excitement and pure ecstasy - plus more - was here in this sleepy little city, right here in his arms.

Who would've known?

Yahiko smirked, looking down at a smiling Tsubame. "If you insist Tae-san, I guess I'll _have_ to take you up on your offer..."

Tae simply smiled at them. "Ohohohoho."

**THE END.**

* * *

A/N: Alright, alright, so it's been a couple of years...you can kill me! xD But I finally finished this and I'm so glad to do it. Now I feel like watching RK all over again. I hope you guys enjoyed it!


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